Rmer Augusta University employee charged with theft

Total withdrawals of $300K allegedly r personal use.

A former dean’s office coor- dinator for Augusta University’s Dental College of Georgia has been indicted for al egedly stealing more than $300,000 from the school, Georgia At or-

General Chr s Carr’s office said Thursday.

“University employees are expected to help further our mission to provide a world- class education, and those who choose to instead engage in unlawful activity will be held accountable,” Carr said in a news release.

In the indictment, Dawn Gantt, 43, is charged with 288 acts of theft by taking and 19 acts of false statements and writings under Georgia’s racketeering law. The 14-page indictment alleges Gantt ille- gally withdrew funds from a discretionary account she oversaw.

The account was supposed to cover the cost of leadership programs, retreats and annual

ents for the college. Instead, the indictment alleges, Gantt used the money “for the per- sonal benefit of herself and others.”

The indictment lists hun- dreds of withdrawals Gantt made from the account, including multiple ATM wi h- drawals as well as payments to the Carpet Warehouse, Louis Vui ton and Nissan Auto Company.

Carr’s office said it presented the evidence to a Richmond County grand jury,

ich handed up an indictment on April 16. Efforts by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution to contact Gantt were unsuccessful.

Augusta University said it conducted a months-long internal investigation about the account activity.

“The disbursements were improperly appropriated by an employee in the office who admi ted the wrongdoing and who was subsequent y terminated from employment,” the school said in a statement. “The university’s internal investigation identified gaps in financial oversight processes, and corrective steps have been taken to prevent such actions in the future.”