Angela Suggs, the athletic director at Florida A&M, was arrested Monday after allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from her old employment using a corporate credit card.
Suggs surrendered herself to the Leon County Jail on Monday and was later freed on bond, according to The Associated Press. She is facing multiple accusations, including criminal grand theft and felony scheme to defraud. She was also charged with four charges of making fraudulent claims on travel vouchers, all of which are misdemeanors in Florida.
According to officials, Suggs used a company credit card for personal use and stole more than $24,000 from her former job. Suggs allegedly used her position as CEO of the Florida Sports Foundation to make wire transfers, cash withdrawals, and personal purchases at casinos on business trips. An probe was begun last fall, and an audit discovered that Suggs reportedly manipulated travel vouchers by misrepresenting unapproved payments as meals or claiming they were accidents. She also apparently neglected to fully reimburse the Florida Sports Foundation for her own costs.
Suggs, a Florida A&M graduate, was hired as the university’s athletic director last fall following a nearly seven-year stint with the Florida Sports Foundation. Suggs hired Charlie Ward, a former NBA player and Heisman Trophy winner, as the program’s next men’s basketball coach in April. The Rattlers finished 14-17 in the SWAC past season and have not made the NCAA tournament in nearly two decades.
