A former employee at the Yale University School of Medicine has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $40 million in computers and electronics from the school.
Jamie Petrone, 42, of Lithia Springs, Ga., pleaded guilty in federal court to wire fraud and filing a false tax return, the U.S. Justice Department said in a news release.
Petrone worked at the medical school in New Haven, Conn., beginning in 2008 and most recently served as the director of finance and administration for the department of emergency medicine.
Prosecutors say that beginning at least as early as 2013, Petrone ordered or caused others working for her to order millions of dollars of electronic hardware from Yale vendors using medical school funds; she then arranged to ship the stolen hardware to an out-of-state business in exchange for money. She was arrested in September 2021.
In total, Petrone caused a loss of about $40,502,200 to Yale, Petrone used the proceeds of the sales of the stolen equipment for various personal expenses, including expensive cars, real estate and travel, the Justice Department said.
As part of her plea, Petrone has agreed to forfeit more than $560,000 that was seized from a bank account and several luxury automobiles. She also has agreed to liquidate three properties in Connecticut that she owns or co-owns to help pay restitution. Her sentencing is scheduled for June 29.
