Tampa Bay woman pleads guilty in $300K university embezzlement case

Christina Lynn Morris, 46, of Plant City, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud where federal authorities say she embezzled nearly $300,000 from a local university.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Department of Justice's Middle District of Florida office, in Tampa, say Morris worked as a "fiscal and business analyst for a public research university" in the district. Officials declined to disclose the name of the university, where, they alleged, Morris, from July 2021 through July 2023, embezzled more than $290,000 by using her university credit card. 

In addition to the university credit card Morris, officials contended, used credit cards issued to other university employees and the association’s bank accounts to conduct unapproved, non-business transactions at various companies, including for the repeated bulk purchase of gift cards.

In addition to working for the non-disclosed university, Morris also served as president for an unnamed charitable association during the time of the criminal activity, the Department of Justice release states. 

Morris used the association’s tax-exempt status to avoid paying sales tax for items purchased with the gift cards and embezzled funds, prosecutors say. To make the transactions appear legitimate and to prevent the fraud scheme from being discovered, Morris created and submitted falsified documents to the university, and withheld material information from the association, officials contended. 

Morris conducted hundreds of transactions this way, causing losses of $261,632.17 to the university and $31,569.87 to the association, the release states. 

She faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Morris has also agreed to forfeit $293,202, which is traceable to proceeds of the offense.