(Texas Scorecard) – A former Tarleton State University associate professor has pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $1 million from the school during her tenure.
Dr. Julie Howell signed a plea agreement in January, admitting to one count of theft from a program receiving federal funds.
According to court documents, Howell was the department head for Educational Leadership & Technology in the College of Education at Tarleton State University between April 1, 2022, and April 9, 2024.
Tarleton State is part of the Texas A&M System.
During that time, Howell was given a Texas A&M payment card to be used for travel expenses related to official school business. Instead, she used the card for “personal expenditures, primarily related to gambling.”
To conceal the transactions, Howell transferred money from the A&M card to PayPal accounts she created under seemingly legitimate business names.
“Dr. Howell argues that Tarleton received certain value for some of the items or services that she charged to the Texas A&M payment card, even though Dr. Howell concedes that the amounts charged were inflated and did not follow appropriate approval processes,” the summary states.
“Dr. Howell, however, utilized the travel card for personal expenditures, but disguised the transactions to make them appear as though they were for official school business,” it continues.
In total, Howell stole $941,128 from Tarleton State and did not pay taxes on any of it.
“We want to assure our university community that policy, rule or legal violations are taken seriously,” a spokesperson for Tarleton State told Texas Scorecard. “We are thankful for local and federal law enforcement for their efforts during a diligent investigation.”
Howell is scheduled for sentencing on June 10 in Tarrant County federal court. She faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.