A UK employee has been fired for selling university property on eBay and committing fraud that is valued at more than $220,000.
While working as a business manager in the physics and astronomy department, Steven Ellis sold equipment worth $137,000 and misappropriated $87,000 in revenues, according to a report released by the Board of Trustees. Ellis was fired in September before the investigation concluded.
Ellis sold a variety of expensive equipment on eBay, including:
- Ellis sold 248 "clickers" for $3,200.
- He made $41,317 selling a variety of calculators.
- 30 Tektronix oscilloscopes were sold for $27,480.
- 334 multimeters were sold for $49,856.
- The department acquired 210 temperature probes; 89 were found unopened in a closet and 151 were sold, profiting $4,470.
Ellis also committed fraud when he required students to purchase the lab manual he authored. According to school policy, the royalties must be donated back to the school.
After students purchased about 14,000 lab manuals he made $84,794. The numbers are staggering.
On top of losing his job, the findings of Ellis' investigation have been turned over to the U.S. Attorney's office.
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