Florida Atlantic University employee charged with fraud
BOCA RATON FLA Jan 2 2018
A Florida Atlantic University employee was arrested for pretending to be a student and receiving refunds for about $24,000 worth of fraudulent checks, university police said.
Denise Elizabeth Keaton, 27, registered to take classes at FAU as “Elizabeth Denise Keaton” five times in June 2014 and paid for the classes with about $54,000 worth of fraudulent online checks, according to an arrest report. Keaton, who worked in FAU’s controller’s office, canceled the classes and received refunds from the university three of the five times. Before administrators figured out her checks were bouncing, $24,124.72 of university funds already had been deposited into her bank account.
Nine days after Keaton registered for the first group of classes, FAU canceled the fourth refund it was processing to deposit, police said.
Police said Keaton forged academic transcripts from Colorado State University Pueblo to be accepted as a student. She used her real birth date, email address and phone number, but gave another person’s Social Security number on the records, according to the report.
At least one of the fraudulent checks indicated Keaton was a minor and included a parent signature even though she was not at the time the checks were written, police said.
Keaton, of suburban Boynton Beach, was arrested on charges of aggravated white collar crime, organized fraud, grand theft and fraudulent use of personal information. She remains in the Palm Beach County Jail on a $15,000 bond.
Palm Beach Post
