Following several months of investigation into the matter, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department charged a former UW employee for felonious embezzlement.
According to a statement from UWPD spokesperson Marc Lovicott, 42-year-old Sonja Dedrick stole $144,642 from UW Surplus With A Purpose last year while she was working as a senior accountant.
According to its website, UW SWAP is an online auction forum that attempts to reduce the university’s carbon footprint by transferring surplus electronic equipment and other materials across university departments, selling it to the public or donating it to nonprofit agencies.
The investigation into the missing funds began in September when other SWAP employees noticed approximately $45,000 missing from accounts, according to the release.
When it was discovered nearly $145,000 was gone, Dedrick admitted she stole the money to pay bills, Lovicott said in the statement. All the money has since been recovered and a broader review of SWAP’s accounting policies is underway.
