TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida A&M University athletic director Angela Suggs was arrested Monday on fraud and theft charges for allegedly using a corporate credit card for personal use totaling more than $24,000 at her former job.
Suggs, 55, turned herself in and was booked at the Leon County Jail. She was later released on a $13,500 bond.
She was charged with two felonies: grand theft and scheme to defraud. She also was charged with four misdemeanor counts of false claims on travel vouchers.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said Suggs made wire transfers, cash withdrawals and personal purchases at casinos during business trips while she was the CEO of the Florida Sports Foundation.
The investigation began last November after the FDLE received a criminal referral from the Florida Department of Commerce’s Inspector General, which audited Suggs’ business credit card purchases and corresponding travel reimbursements at the FSF. The FSF is a direct-support organization operating under the Florida Department of Commerce.
The audit revealed that Suggs falsified travel vouchers by coding the unauthorized charges as meals, according to the FDLE. When asked about the unauthorized charges, Suggs claimed some were for business meals and others were accidentally charged to the business card. She failed to fully repay FSF for her personal expenditures, the FDLE said.
FAMU Interim President Timothy Beard said in a statement that the university is aware of the allegations connected to her work with a “former employer.”
“While the matter is unrelated to her duties as an employee at FAMU, we are monitoring the situation and will respond in the future as appropriate,” Beard said.
There was no attorney listed in jail records for Suggs, who in April hired 1993 Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward as the school’s men’s basketball coach.
