In a letter last week to the Board of Regents concerning former UGA Alumni Director Deborah Dietzler, Senior Assistant Attorney General David McLaughlin wrote “my opinion is that some of Ms. Dietzler’s alleged conduct was likely criminal in nature, but I do not believe a criminal prosecution is feasible.”
Specifically, McLaughlin cites two instances in his letter where he believed Dietzler’s conduct “could have been criminal in nature.” McLaughlin makes note that although there were others that could be concerning, the two he highlights were the most egregious.
The first example he gives in his letter relates to a trip Dietzler took to California in 2013. According to the evidence, Dietzler booked a trip to California to participate in the Big Sur Marathon. After registering for the marathon and booking her trip, Dietzler directed her staff to find UGA Alumni for her to meet with in Monterey, the location of the race. Her staff was not able to schedule any meetings with alumni on the dates in question but were able to schedule two meetings the next day in Sacramento, three hours away. Dietzler traveled to California, ran in the marathon and claimed her travel expenses for the one night in Monterey as for “Alumni Association Business.”
According to McLaughlin, Dietzler “may have” committed two crimes related to the trip. She made false states when she reported the Monterey time as alumni-related and appears to have committed theft by taking when she billed UGA and received reimbursement for personal expenses.
The second example McLaughlin cites concerns a trip to Philadelphia for a conference. Dietzler was booked at a conference rate of $159 per night at the Four Seasons Hotel but she instructed her staff to cancel her reservation and book her at a Hilton Garden Inn at a higher rate of $269. According to UGA’s Internal Auditing Division (IAD), this was likely done so Dietzler could receive points towards her Hilton Honors program. Dietzler justified the change by saying the Hilton was located in a safe part of town, convenient to the meeting location and because the less expensive Hampton Inn was not available. This sounds fine except then you remember she was already booked at a less expensive hotel. Again, these actions likely constitute false statements and theft by taking.
McLaughlin’s skepticism regarding successful prosecution largely stems from the fact that neither UGA police or the UGA Fraud Committee found that the there was criminal conduct. UGA also failed to report the matter to the state which inhibited a timely investigation. Dietzler was also allowed to continue employment at UGA.
So, in essence, the institution in question may have been overlooking or ignoring criminal activity and because of that, an outside institution cannot charge criminal activity? McLaughlin claims that because Dietler was not terminated makes successful prosecution “extremely challenging” and would be an “unwise use of taxpayer resources.”
Meanwhile, as of Tuesday, it has been 141 days since the story was broken by WSB-TV in Atlanta and Sallyanne Barrow, the whistleblower who provided much of the initial evidence used in the IAD investigation, has not been asked a single question about anything from the Attorney General’s office. She’s still waiting on the conclusion of her whistleblower wrongful termination suit.
