Former FAMU official indicted

The former director of FAMU's Institute on Urban Policy and Commerce was indicted on federal theft and fraud charges today, along with the former director of literacy programs in Franklin County.

Patricia Walker McGill, 60, of Tallahassee was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit theft from federal programs and mail fraud, seven counts of theft from federal programs relating to educational grants and 13 counts of mail fraud, according to a statement released this afternoon by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida. Bonnie Segree, 68, of Eastpoint, was charged with eight counts, the statement said.

Among other allegations, the indictment says the pair "stole, embezzled, misapplied, or converted to their own use and to the use of others not entitled thereto, funds provided by the United States Department of Education through the Florida Department of Education for educational literacy grants."

It also says McGill "required certain educational grant recipients to kick back portions of the grant monies to the defendants and disguise the monies paid to the defendants as ‘consulting' fees for the grants and would require the recipients to falsely report that the grant monies were earned for work related to the grants."

Former interim FAMU President Castell Bryant fired McGill in May 2005, saying the decision was based on findings from a payroll audit. Today's statement from the U.S. attorney's office says the investigation began two years ago.

McGill faces up to 350 years in prison and $5.25-million in fines. Segree faces up to 140 years in prison and $2 million in fines. Both were arrested this morning and will be scheduled for trial in Panama City before U.S. District Judge Richard Smoak. To read more about the indictment, click here. To read the indictment, click here.

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Comments

Give some a title and they start stealing.

[Gilbert R. Ford]

As an Afr.Am. I have called for an official investigation to the financial mismanagement and fiscal improprieties of FAMU! While these two women have been indicted, I strongly feel there's more. This mess did not just happen overnight and it certainly did not go on without others having knowledge. I was dumbfounded to learn that the FAMU Alumni Association in concert with some of the African American State Legislators threatened to boycott and stonewall an inquiry. This should serve notice to those meddlesome alumni and those renegade legislators that more eyes are watching and they had better tow the line. It is time to clean house, and restore FAMU's image and name! I sure hope that more indictments and imprisonments are forthcoming, God I really do!

Gilbert Ford, please stop posting lies. If you are willing to stand by your slanderous comments, then post your mailing address so that it and your comments can be passed on to those you choose to slander.

Gilbert Ford, please stop posting lies. If you are willing to stand by your slanderous comments, then post your mailing address so that it and your comments can be passed on to those you choose to slander.

[Crookwatcher]

When one unaccredited university spends about three times as much as UF or FSU to educate each student, just where do you suppose all that extra "education" expenditure went?!!!
Corruption and theft, maybe?

FAMU is accredited. Get your facts straight. Plus, FAMU doesn't receive anywhere near the level of appropriations that FSU and UF receive each year.

Actually, I think USF might disagree the above post. In fact according to a St. Pete Times article last year the state actually over funds FAMU students. USF had an issue because students lack class space were at FAMU there is an abundance of room and spaces.

FAMU's law school is on provisional accreditation as of now. However, that will soon change when the school of dysfunction is shut down by The American Bar Association.

The free market will take care of FAMU. Their degree is worth much less in the eyes of employers. The best and brightest go elsewhere.

Gilbert Ford, please stop posting lies. If you are willing to stand by your slanderous comments, then post your mailing address so that it and your comments can be passed on to those you choose to slander.

If you think FAMU receives more funding than USF, then you can't count. The state funds enrollment according to the FTE count.

USF's total FTE requirement is higher than FAMU's. That's why USF receives more money for enrollment.

When Castell Bryant was in office, she didn't recruit students. FAMU lost $10M dollars because it didn't meet its state-required FTE goal. The Rattlers pushed her out of office (against the will of Carolyn Roberts and other BOG members). Now, FAMU's enrollment will go back up.

You Gators said that FAMU's pharmacy school was going to lose its accreditation. The new administration fixed the damage that Castell inflicted on the pharmacy school and its probation was lifted. Even when pharmacy was on probation, the Rattler pharmacy students still beat the Gator pharmacy students on the national licensure exam.

UF had pharmacy students who failed the national exam. FAMU did not.

The pharmacy school is fine and the law school is also fine.

There needs to be a discussion about why UF's finances are in such bad shape. UF's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has multi-million dollar deficits every year. The university has a total deficit of $40M. UF still isn't budgeting properly and the taxpayers are being forced to bail it out every year.

Per student, FAMU receives more money than USF. FAMU is funded about 130 percent compared to USF which is well below 80. If FAMU was underfunded per student, they would not be trying to enroll more students. Think about it. How is FAMU increasing enrollment if they are not over funded? They could not afford to if they were under funded like other state universities.

FAMU's enrollment might go up, but will their abysmal 6 year graduation rate go up. So what you want about the Gators, but they know how to graduate young black minds. On the other hand you can't say that about FAMU. With all the grade changing going on at FAMU I wonder how much that graduation rate would go down. I think it is more likely to be in the 25 percent range, that is if they went to a school that actually put academic demands on you.

USF and FAMU are both appropriated money according to FTEs. USF's FTE count is higher, so it receives more money.

FAMU's FTEs are not worth more than any other university's. Each university is funding to produce a specific number.

People who claim otherwise don't understand the state's per-student funding formula. Still there are people who try and misrepresent per-student funding in order to try and get even more taxpayer dollars.

FAMU did not meet its total

Gators are the best at failing to reconcile their financial books against bank records for their $2.5B budget. Just check the state audits!

"Think about it. How is FAMU increasing enrollment if they are not over funded?"

FAMU is increasing enrollment because, under Castell, it did not meet its state-required FTE enrollment. That's why FAMU was penalized $10M. Once FAMU begins to meet its FTE goal again, it will receive that money back.

You loss money because your enrollment dropped. You were not penalized, you were not funded because you did not have the students. And as a student why would you want to go to FAMU? The school is stuck in the 1950's. Young talented minds want a dynamic diverse school, and not a stagnant one race school.

Again say what you want about the Gators, but if I am a parent of a black student, I know at UF I am going to get a solid education. You cannot say that about FAMU.

FAMU's enrollment was increasing every year until Castell Bryant destroyed the recruitment program. The Rattlers had to fight Carolyn Roberts and the BOG to get rid of Bryant, but we still prevailed.

FAMU is will soon be the national leader in National Achievement Scholars again.

FAMU graduates more blacks with baccalaureate degrees than any one else in the country. UF is no where close to doing that.

Plus, if you go to FAMU, you have a better chance of passing the national pharmacy licensure exam than if you go to UF. None of FAMU's students failed the exam.

UF needs to fix myUFL. That data system has a long history of dysfunction. Just check the state audits.

At FAMU it is not about quality, but quantity. Who cares if you graduate the most black students. What is alarming is that the school is failing over 60 percent of its student body. And with all the fuzzy math and grade changing at the school those who actually earned the right to graduate is more than likely considerably less.

At UF, black student's graduation rate is almost double that of FAMU.

FAMU is failing at its antiquated "black thang" mission. The best and brightest black students do not go to FAMU.

In fact, roughly 4 in 5 black students choose to go to other institutions in Florida.

25% of the black students in the SUS attend FAMU. Without FAMU, the number of blacks attending public universities in Florida would plummet.

FAMU still graduates more blacks with baccalaureates than anyone else in America.

FAMU also does a better job training pharmacists than UF.

What is alarming is that UF is failing in financial accountability. UF has the worst deficits of any public university in the state.

No it is actually less because FAMU has a 25 percent out of state student body. I would not be so sure about the without FAMU statement. FAMU graduates less than half of the students enrolled. So without FAMU, the brighter students would go to other schools, and the not so bright would not get into a 4 year institution. An education must be earned, which is a problem up at FAMU. You can't claim to be essential when you are failing at your mission. The best and the brightest do not go to FAMU.

Who cares if FAMU graduates the most blacks. We live in the 21st century and FAMU should be in the business of graduating everyone. But the small minded stay just that, and it is no different at FAMU, hence your grade changing and atrocious graduation rates.

One race public institutions have no future.

In the business world a degree from FAMU is a good as the toilet paper in my bathroom.

FAMU's pharmacy program is not even ranked, UF's is. Get over sister, your "black thang" at FAMU is old hat!

Out-of-state students are also part of the State University System. FAMU's student population is 25% of the SUS's total black enrollment.

FAMU attracts the best students from all across the nation.

If the students at FAMU wanted to go to other universities, then they would not be at FAMU right now.

The students at FAMU know, especially, where the state's best pharmacy school is. If you go to FAMU, then you have a better of chance of passing the national pharmacy licensure exam than if you go to UF.

Girl you need to quit smokin' if you think FAMU students could get into other colleges. Yes there are probably of few, but the majority need to start at community colleges.

FAMU pharmacy school is not even ranked, get over it!

If you take out the out state enrollment of FAMU, black students make up about 20 percent of SUS enrollment.

My question to you is why do 80 percent of young black minds choose to go elsewhere?

I think I have the answer, FAMU education is inferior.

FAMU's education was not inferior to anyone's on the pharmacy national licensure test. That's why FAMU students beat UF on the test. No FAMU students failed. UF cannot say the same.

Good universities can attract students from all across the nation. FAMU does that.

25% of the black students in the SUS attend FAMU. If FAMU wasn't around, then the number of blacks in the SUS would plummet.