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Posted on Tue, Nov 6, 2012 : 5:57 a.m.

Employee accused of embezzling $10,000 from EMU, placed on leave

By Kyle Feldscher

A 55-year-old woman is accused of embezzling about $10,000 from Eastern Michigan University over the summer, police said Monday.

pamelamcmichael.jpg

Pamela McMichael

Courtesy of the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office

Pamela McMichael, a budget analyst in the university’s Extended Programs and Educational Outreach department, was arraigned Saturday on one count of embezzlement by an agent or trustee of more than $1,000 but less than $20,000, records show.

EMU Police Chief Bob Heighes said McMichael embezzled a little more than $10,000 from the university during the summer months.

“All of the investigation is not complete, we’re not sure exactly how long it’s been taking place,” Heighes said. “The area we looked at most recently was over this past summer.”

McMichael was arrested Friday and arraigned at the Washtenaw County Jail on Saturday, Heighes said. She was released on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond.

Heighes said McMichael is on leave from the university.

The alleged embezzlement was discovered toward the end of August during the normal audit process, Heighes said. Auditors found irregularities and turned the investigation over to police.

McMichael did not immediately return a message from AnnArbor.com seeking comment on the allegations.

EMU spokesman Geoff Larcom said the university could not comment on the case because it is a personnel matter.

Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Geoffrey Fox said McMichael’s next scheduled court appearance is a preliminary exam at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 13.

If convicted, McMichael faces a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of three times the amount she allegedly embezzled.

Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.

Comments

Tom Todd

Tue, Nov 6, 2012 : 3:02 p.m.

Note to public, not all university jobs pay a fortune.

djacks24

Tue, Nov 6, 2012 : 2:48 p.m.

"Heighes said McMichael is on leave from the university." Probably paid leave too....After all the embezzled money is definitely a good portion tax payer dollars, so the University can always get plenty more where that came from.

mikael

Tue, Nov 6, 2012 : 2:17 p.m.

From what department did this guy steal the money?

mady

Tue, Nov 6, 2012 : 2:52 p.m.

Not sure, mikael, but the "guy's" name is Pamela and does it even matter in the final analysis where She stole the money from?

Napalm.Morning

Tue, Nov 6, 2012 : 1:37 p.m.

A criminal act against a public university is a "personnel matter"? Seems to me the financial control systems to safeguard the financial integrity of an organization worked--as they should. For these "white- collar" (er, "reddish-collar") crimes, public disclosure is a generally a pretty strong deterrent IMHO.

justcurious

Tue, Nov 6, 2012 : 1:36 p.m.

So far all of the remarks have been about this person's appearance. Nothing about the crime she is accused of. I think embezzlers deserve more punishment than they usually receive. The courts seem to think otherwise.