Wabaunsee County Woman Admits Embezzling from Bio-Security Research Institute

TOPEKA—A Wabaunsee County woman has pleaded guilty to embezzling from the Bio-Security Research Institute at Kansas State University, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

Linda Kay Miller, 51, Alma, Kansas, pleaded guilty to three counts of interstate transportation of fraudulently altered securities. In her plea, she admitted the crimes took place while she worked as an office manager for the institute from August 2007 to January 2013. The institute receives grant money from the federal government to provide infectious disease research programs that address threats to plant, animal, and human health.

Miller used her position to embezzle funds by diverting checks sent to the institute. She altered the checks to make herself either a payee or co-payee and deposited the proceeds into one of her personal bank accounts. The proceeds moved in interstate commerce as part of a process to clear and negotiate the checks. The plea identifies three specific checks Miller diverted: a check for $5,000 from the FSU Research Foundation in Tallahassee, Florida; a check for $6,108.58 from the Frontline Healthcare Workers Safety Foundation in Atlanta, Georgia; and a check for $955 from J.M. Oconnor Inc. in Lenexa, Kansas.

In her plea, Miller agreed to a money judgment of $16,523.58.

Sentencing is set for January 13. She faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.

Grissom commended the FBI, the Kansas State University Police Department, the Wabaunsee County Sheriff’s Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Hathaway for their work on the case.