Woman charges $316K on state credit card
Feds search home of former Ga. Tech employee
Woman is accused of $316K charges on state credit card
By ANDREA JONES
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/11/08
Federal agents on Monday searched the Marietta home of a former Georgia Tech employee who is accused of ringing up more than $316,000 in personal charges on her state-issued credit card.
Over five years, Donna Gamble, who has not yet been charged with a crime, outfitted her kitchen, house and motor home with grant money from the National Science Foundation, federal documents charge.
The former administrative coordinator bought more than 3,800 items, including a Waverunner personal watercraft and a wide-screen television, according to an affidavit signed by FBI special agent William Share.
State workers use the charge cards to make work-related purchases, and the bills are paid by the worker's agency. The investigation of Gamble is the first case that has drawn the attention of federal prosecutors in the p-card debacle. The science foundation grant is federal funds.
The state attorney general's office is looking at several other cases of potential fraud. While detectives from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation wrapped up their investigation months ago, no one has yet been charged with a crime.
Gamble, who worked in the Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, used five purchasing cards that were billed to a grant fund to buy items ranging from season tickets to Auburn University football games in Alabama to a $1,900 frozen drink machine and holographic lighted palm trees, according to the federal document.
The affidavit says she bought an electric double wall oven, dishwasher and high priced Henckel knives for her kitchen. She charged air conditioning units for her RV and had hundreds of packages shipped to her Marietta home, charging thousands of dollars at Web sites such as Amazon.com and Nordstrom, according to the document.
The staggering number of purchases went unnoticed until August 2007, when a tipster contacted the Georgia Tech Department of Internal Auditing, according to the search warrant.
Georgia Tech officials have refused to release Gamble's personnel records, citing the ongoing investigation. Gamble resigned on Aug. 13 when questioned about the charges, according to the search warrant. She did not return repeated calls to her home or cell phone. No other administrator or employee has been reprimanded in the case, said Georgia Tech spokesman Jim Fetig.
In December, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis of more than 4 million p-card transactions revealed a program that had grown from a way for office workers to buy supplies into a massive market where a lack of oversight was the norm at many agencies. Run by the Department of Administrative Services, p-card operatons have since been tightened.
The University System, which oversees the state's 35 public colleges and universities, is culling more than 600,000 p-card transactions and has so far detailed 18 cases of fraud involving purchasing cards at college campuses.
On Tuesday, two state representatives submitted legislation urging the Department of Revenue to review the use of p-cards and tax workers for unauthorized personal expenditures.
Rep. Jill Chambers (R-Atlanta) said the purchases should be taxed like income.
"We've seen the abuse of too many agencies," Chambers said. "At least this way we can recover some of the lost cost."
Georgia Tech officials released this statement Monday: "Georgia Tech has been assisting investigators from the beginning. We are pleased to learn of this positive development."
Woman is accused of $316K charges on state credit card
By ANDREA JONES
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/11/08
Federal agents on Monday searched the Marietta home of a former Georgia Tech employee who is accused of ringing up more than $316,000 in personal charges on her state-issued credit card.
Over five years, Donna Gamble, who has not yet been charged with a crime, outfitted her kitchen, house and motor home with grant money from the National Science Foundation, federal documents charge.
The former administrative coordinator bought more than 3,800 items, including a Waverunner personal watercraft and a wide-screen television, according to an affidavit signed by FBI special agent William Share.
State workers use the charge cards to make work-related purchases, and the bills are paid by the worker's agency. The investigation of Gamble is the first case that has drawn the attention of federal prosecutors in the p-card debacle. The science foundation grant is federal funds.
The state attorney general's office is looking at several other cases of potential fraud. While detectives from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation wrapped up their investigation months ago, no one has yet been charged with a crime.
Gamble, who worked in the Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, used five purchasing cards that were billed to a grant fund to buy items ranging from season tickets to Auburn University football games in Alabama to a $1,900 frozen drink machine and holographic lighted palm trees, according to the federal document.
The affidavit says she bought an electric double wall oven, dishwasher and high priced Henckel knives for her kitchen. She charged air conditioning units for her RV and had hundreds of packages shipped to her Marietta home, charging thousands of dollars at Web sites such as Amazon.com and Nordstrom, according to the document.
The staggering number of purchases went unnoticed until August 2007, when a tipster contacted the Georgia Tech Department of Internal Auditing, according to the search warrant.
Georgia Tech officials have refused to release Gamble's personnel records, citing the ongoing investigation. Gamble resigned on Aug. 13 when questioned about the charges, according to the search warrant. She did not return repeated calls to her home or cell phone. No other administrator or employee has been reprimanded in the case, said Georgia Tech spokesman Jim Fetig.
In December, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis of more than 4 million p-card transactions revealed a program that had grown from a way for office workers to buy supplies into a massive market where a lack of oversight was the norm at many agencies. Run by the Department of Administrative Services, p-card operatons have since been tightened.
The University System, which oversees the state's 35 public colleges and universities, is culling more than 600,000 p-card transactions and has so far detailed 18 cases of fraud involving purchasing cards at college campuses.
On Tuesday, two state representatives submitted legislation urging the Department of Revenue to review the use of p-cards and tax workers for unauthorized personal expenditures.
Rep. Jill Chambers (R-Atlanta) said the purchases should be taxed like income.
"We've seen the abuse of too many agencies," Chambers said. "At least this way we can recover some of the lost cost."
Georgia Tech officials released this statement Monday: "Georgia Tech has been assisting investigators from the beginning. We are pleased to learn of this positive development."
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Compared to the goons in corporate america, Congress, and the White House, this is like pocketing a candy bar in the checkout lane.
Which doesn't make it less of a crime, but,0 -
quote:Originally posted by admin
That is the wonderful thing about the government. If they run out of money they can simply steal more from us. They don't have to be frugal, or implement controls, or spend wisely because they can simply raise taxes and take more from us. Which, of course, they regularly do.
This is my favorite line of the story: "Donna Gamble, who has not yet been charged with a crime"
They all have their hand in the till. Too worried about Gamble snitching out the rest if they arrest her.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Hunter Mag
quote:Originally posted by admin
That is the wonderful thing about the government. If they run out of money they can simply steal more from us. They don't have to be frugal, or implement controls, or spend wisely because they can simply raise taxes and take more from us. Which, of course, they regularly do.
This is my favorite line of the story: "Donna Gamble, who has not yet been charged with a crime"
They all have their hand in the till. Too worried about Gamble snitching out the rest if they arrest her.
Your reply has has more merit than you realize.Milk the cash cow!!0 -
quote:Originally posted by cahas
quote:Originally posted by Hunter Mag
quote:Originally posted by admin
That is the wonderful thing about the government. If they run out of money they can simply steal more from us. They don't have to be frugal, or implement controls, or spend wisely because they can simply raise taxes and take more from us. Which, of course, they regularly do.
This is my favorite line of the story: "Donna Gamble, who has not yet been charged with a crime"
They all have their hand in the till. Too worried about Gamble snitching out the rest if they arrest her.
Your reply has has more merit than you realize.Milk the cash cow!!
Oh I realize the full magnitude of this epidemic...trust me. This case here isn't EVEN the tip of the iceberg.[xx(]
Very sad though.0 -
I got a question,what % of Government spending is in the hogwash.My estimate,better than 50%. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by cahas
Were treadin on a minefield,i dont care,i been in the real ones and made it through[;)] I got a question,what % of Government spending is in the hogwash.My estimate,better than 50%.
Yes better than 50%...I'd say 2/3, 66.7% [B)]0 -
You are so sadly,frightenly close,id bet the farm within 10% of your reply. 0
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