Tufts Staffers Arraigned for Stealing Nearly $1 Million

DA: Former Employees Spent Tufts’ Cash on Fancy Trips, Luxury Items

– Allison Goldsberry

Two former Tufts University employees have been arraigned for allegedly stealing almost $1 million from the school in two separate schemes.

According to Middlesex County District Attorney Gerry Leone, Jodie Nealley, Director of the University ‘ s Office of Student Activities between 1996 and 2007, and Raymond Rodriguez, the Budget and Fiscal Coordinator for the Office of Student Activities between 2001 and 2007, were arraigned Tuesday morning in Woburn Superior Court. They were both released on personal recognizance by the Clerk Magistrate on the conditions that they stay away from Tufts University and all witnesses.

Nealley is alleged to have stolen $372,576 and was indicted by a Middlesex Grand Jury on July 1 on three counts of larceny over $250. Rodriguez is alleged to have stolen $604,873 and was also indicted on July 1 on two counts of larceny over $250.

Both Nealley and Rodriguez pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The pair will be back in court on October 1 for a pretrial conference.

According to authorities, the schemes were first discovered by a member of the Tufts Internal Audit Department who had received an anonymous tip. Based on a follow-up investigation, it was determined that Nealley had control over bank accounts associated with the Office of Student Activities.

The District Attorney’s office said Nealley used one of these accounts to deposit student activity funds and would then transfer that money into her own personal bank accounts. Bank records show that Nealley used a debit/ATM card linked to the account to withdraw cash and to make personal purchases.

Nealley spent the cash on everything from groceries to furniture to trips to Foxwoods, according to the bank records. From 2001 to 2007, Nealley transferred $63,500 to her personal line of credit, $91,000 to her personal checking account and also withdrew $174,908 in cash. Nealley is alleged to have stolen $372,576 in from Tufts through this scheme.

During the investigation, auditors also discovered that Rodriguez stole $604,873 from University student activity accounts. Auditors discovered that Rodriguez wrote himself a check from a University account in the amount of $100,000, deposited that check into an account he opened in his name, and used the money to pay credit card bills.

Rodriguez also opened numerous credit cards in his name and in the name of Tufts University to purchase personal items, according to the DA. He would then pay the credit cards with checks drawn from the Tufts University student activity account. From October 2005 to September 2007, Rodriguez is alleged to have used Tufts money to purchase trips to Paris, Montreal, New York, Las Vegas, Chicago, and other places, and also to pay for tickets to Madonna, Celine Dionne, Rent, and the opera.

Rodriguez also apparently had expensive taste and allegedly spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on wallets, watches, purses, shoes, and electronics from places such as Gucci, Tiffany and Co., Prada, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, and Coach.

According to Tufts’ Student Activities website, Nealley was with the university for eleven years, ten of which she served as Student Activities Director. Her responsibilities included overseeing the overall operation of the Student Activities Office and the campus center, and serving as an advisor to several student organizations, including the student senate and fraternities and sororities.

Prior to Tufts, Nealley worked at the Art Institute of Boston and Rutgers University.

As Budget and Fiscal Coordinator, Rodriguez’s duties included assisting student organizations with budgeting and financial management, facilitating the day-to-day operations of the student government treasury, created monthly reports for organizations funded by the student activity fee, and “assuring the proper fiscal management of the student activity fee.”

According to a spokeswoman, Rodriguez resigned from Tufts in July of 2007, while Nealley was fired in November of that same year.

In a written statement, the university said it has taken “significant steps” to prevent such a situation from happening again and that all student activity funds will be reimbursed.

“Student activities funds were previously handled differently than other university business. This is no longer the case. We have made substantial improvements in how these funds are managed and controlled,” the statement said.

“We appreciate the District Attorney’s commitment and cooperation. We are deeply disappointed that two individuals who were trusted by students and colleagues abused that trust. Student activity funds were handled differently than other University business. That is no longer the case. We have significantly improved student activities systems to prevent future incidents. We have also taken steps to assure that no student activities programs are adversely affected,” said Patricia Campbell, Tufts Executive Vice President, in a written statement in July.