A former St. Xavier University vice president pleaded guilty today to stealing more than $850,000 from the school by submitting false claims for more than 10 years.
Susan Piros, 56, stole the money from a program that received federal funding from 1998 to the middle of 2009. She has been ordered to pay the federal government $854,493, according to the plea agreement.
As vice president for business and finance at St. Xavier, Piros was authorized to approve expenses under $10,000 on her own, according to the agreement.
Piros claimed she was being reimbursed for more than $800,000 in loans she made to St. Xavier. When questioned by university investigators, she provided spreadsheets she claimed documented the loans.
Over the same period, Piros was also reimbursed for nearly $1 million in expenses and purchases, but investigators have been unable to audit those expenses. Piros has admitted to fraudently obtaining only about $30,000 of those funds, according to the agreement.
Piros has agreed to pay restitution to St. Xavier as well, but the amount is to be determined later by U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer.
The judge set sentencing for Jan. 13, 2012. Prosecutors are recommending Piros be sentenced to 37 to 46 months in prison. She now lives in Rincon, Ga.
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