Former Ga. Tech employee indicted on racketeering charges

ATLANTA - Another former Georgia Tech employee has been charged with bilking the school out of thousands of dollars.

Michelle Harris was charged Monday with felony racketeering. Prosecutors say she ran up $173,000 in personal expenses on her state-issued credit card, called a p-card. She faces a prison sentence of up to 20 years, Attorney General Thurbert Baker said.

Harris is among a handful of current and former employees whose cases were discovered during an audit of p-card use. She is also the second former Georgia Tech employee slapped with criminal charges for alleged misuse of the cards.

Federal prosecutors on March 4 charged Donna Renee Gamble with 22 counts of mail fraud and theft and accused her of using a p-card to buy $316,000 worth of personal items, including season tickets to football games and a pricey drink machine.

Gamble faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
An audit released earlier this month blames p-card misuse on a lack of oversight in the state's higher education system and suggests that schools tighten standards and require training courses.

At least 17 university employees so far have resigned, been fired or retired because of p-card misuse, and disciplinary action in other cases are pending.