THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, April 15, 1995 TAG: 9504150286
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VICTORIA BARASCH, CAMPUS CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
Since August, five prominent members of the University of Virginia community have been arrested and charged with embezzlement, larceny or forgery.
Although one was found not guilty and two await trial, each case has generated controversy.
The arrests of African Americans - former Newcomb Hall Director Greer Wilson and third-year student Rafiq Jefferies - on charges of embezzlement and petit larceny, respectively, have triggered outrage and claims of racial bias from some minorities.
Student Council President Terry A.C. Gray said it is difficult to evaluate the extent race plays in Wilson's and Jefferies' cases, but their arrests fit into ``the stereotypes and perceptions that many people . . . have about blacks.''
Wilson's attorney, Lloyd Snook, acknowledged that because Wilson ``is black and female and vigorously so,'' friends and community members are ``ticked off about the racial issue.''
Probably the most publicized incident was the arrest of former Student Council President Anne E. Bailey in September. Bailey was charged with embezzlement and forgery and was found guilty of a lesser charge of petit larceny.
Administrators, community members and students are hesitant to draw any conclusions about the indictments, but most said the number of cases appears unusual.
Charlottesville attorney Bruce Phillips, who represents Bailey, said the timing is just coincidence. ``Students frequently get in trouble, but it has been a bad year for the university community,'' he said.
Most of the financial discrepancies were found by people within the organizations involved, not as a result of university efforts, said university relations director Louise Dudley.
These are the individual cases:
Wilson resigned from her post as Newcomb Hall director in October, citing personal reasons. Three months later, she was arrested on charges of embezzling $1,171.61. Her trial is scheduled for May 9.
Third-year student Jefferies was found not guilty in February of attempting to steal property from the Newcomb Hall Bookstore while working there in the summer.
Bailey was arrested in early September on charges of embezzlement and forgery. She was accused of forging another council officer's name on a $300 check in May, while she was council president. She pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of petit larceny.
Newcomb Hall maintenance supervisor Christopher Stephens on Dec. 13 was convicted of embezzling $123.95 of Newcomb Hall funds in September. Stephens used a purchase order to repair a personal television. He received a 30-day suspended sentence.
The most recent arrest involved fourth-year student Timothy Evers, on Feb. 8. Evers allegedly embezzled $9,160.55 from the International Relations Organization as its treasurer last year. After organization members confronted him about discrepancies they found, Evers paid back $5,186.20.
He still faces trial June 10 on two felony counts. by CNB