South Carolina attorney Jennifer Elizabeth Meehan, 39, is headed to federal prison for orchestrating a six-figure bank fraud scheme tied to the University of Alabama’s Gamma Phi Beta sorority house project. Meehan pleaded guilty in July to bank fraud and was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Madeline H. Haikala in Birmingham to six months in prison, followed by 18 months of home detention and 40 months of supervised release.
Meehan, a former member of the Epsilon Lambda Chapter of Gamma Phi Beta, exploited her unpaid volunteer role as president of the sorority’s House Corporation Board to carry out the fraud. Between September 2013 and March 2015, she was responsible for sourcing and purchasing $14 million in furnishings for the new sorority house. Instead, she created a web of false invoices and shell accounts to siphon off nearly $375,000.
In September and November 2014, Meehan submitted fake furniture invoices totaling $375,000 to Greek Resource Services (GRS), the financial management firm for UA Greek organizations. GRS pulled the funds from the sorority’s Bank of Tuscaloosa account and issued Meehan two checks. She deposited them into a fraudulent account she opened at First Citizens Bank & Trust Company under a fictitious business name.
By January 2015, Meehan had wired $175,000 from the fraud account into her personal Bank of America business account at a branch in Anderson, South Carolina. The money was never used for sorority furnishings. Instead, it vanished into her private finances, leaving the sorority footing the bill for unfulfilled orders and eroding donor trust.
As part of her plea agreement, Meehan has already returned over $233,000 and paid an additional $38,000 in restitution to Greek Resource Services. Judge Haikala also slapped her with a $50,000 fine and ordered her to perform eight hours of community service weekly throughout her home detention and supervised release—a total of 58 months.
The U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David H. Estes prosecuted the case. Meehan’s fall from volunteer leader to convicted felon underscores how power, even in unpaid roles, can be weaponized for personal gain—especially when millions are on the line.
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Key Facts
- State: Alabama
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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