A former Western Kentucky University professor has pleaded guilty to stealing $236,000 from the university.
U.S. Attorney Russell Coleman’s office cited on Thursday a plea agreement from 52-year-old Matthew Dettman that says he devised a scheme to defraud WKU by diverting concrete and soil test payments from the school’s engineering department for his own personal use.
The diverted payments were furthered by interstate wire transfers. This occurred between 2006 and 2017.
Dettman pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Greg Stivers. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a combined maximum fine of $250,000 dollars and three years of supervised release. As part of the plea agreement, Dettman will pay restitution of $236,000 to WKU.