ST. LOUIS — The former IT director at Webster University on Tuesday admitted to defrauding the private college and an equipment supplier of $2.2 million in a scheme first revealed in Webster’s audit that was released last year.
The U.S. District Attorney’s Office said Ronald Simpson, 54, of St. Peters obtained approval to buy hundreds of IT items to install at multiple Webster locations, only to sell them to a third party instead. Simpson “misappropriated†at least $1 million from the university with this part of the scheme, authorities said.
He also claimed that 56 of those items were defective in order to sell those parts and the replacement gear. Authorities said the replacement equipment was worth $780,233.
Simpson was paid a total of $2,188,704 for IT equipment belonging to the university and its supplier. He pleaded guilty to one felony count of wire fraud in the U.S. District Court in ºüÀêÊÓƵ and faces up to 20 years in prison.
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University spokesman Patrick Giblin said in a statement that Simpson’s employment with Webster ended in September after the university notified authorities and conducted an internal investigation.
“At Webster University, we expect our employees to conduct their job responsibilities according to the highest ethical standards,†Giblin said. “The crimes for which Mr. Simpson has admitted guilt represent intentional deception and deliberate violations of numerous policies and procedures that he was required to follow.â€
An audit of Webster University, located in Webster Groves, released in December disclosed that a former employee had “misappropriated†nearly $2 million during the 2022-2023 school year. College officials at the time declined to share more details about the incident but said that Webster had added protections to prevent future misconduct.
Giblin confirmed on Tuesday that Simpson was the employee referred to in the audit.
Simpson had worked at Webster since 1996, according to his LinkedIn page.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 17.