FBI investigating former Tarleton professor for allegedly stealing thousands from the university.

By SARA VANDEN BERGE

Tarleton State has confirmed that Julie Howell, a former associate professor and head of the department of educational leadership and technology, is under investigation by the FBI for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from the university.

Beneath the Surface News sent an open records request to Tarleton on June 27 seeking information about the case, but has not received an official response.

On Monday, Tarleton’s director of communications Sven Alskog responded to a list of questions with the following statement.

“We want to assure our university community that allegations of policy, rule or legal violations are taken seriously. Appropriate measures have been pursued to address the situation. As this is an open FBI investigation, we are not able to provide further comment.”

Howell is no longer employed at the university, but it is unclear whether she was terminated or given the opportunity to resign.

Beneath the Surface News has spoken to several sources familiar with the case.

One source said university officials believe Howell could have stolen up to $1 million in grant money over a two-year period.

Another source, who worked with Howell in a different department and is no longer with the university, said they were told the total is closer to $400,000.

“Someone close to this investigation told me that (Howell) had previously been reprimanded for misusing her procurement (expense) card,” the person said.

“I was also told she set up fake PayPal vendor accounts where she was able to disperse the money.

“Looking back, it would be fair to say that one of the main reasons that I and many others in the department left the university was because of the sustainability of our jobs because of her mismanagement of grant funds that were supposed to be used to support faculty and students."