State Audit Reveals Nearly $700,000 in Unallowable Purchases by Fayetteville State University Employees

The North Carolina Office of the State Auditor has recently completed an investigation into historically Black Fayetteville State University and substantiated allegations regarding the making of unallowable purchases by former employees via university-issued purchasing cards (P-cards) and travel cards (T-cards). According to the audit report, former employees from Fayetteville State University’s Office of Strategic Communication (OSC) made purchases totaling $692,239 using P-cards and T-cards that were unallowable and/or did not include the proper documentation. The purchases were made during the time period of January 1, 2022 through August 31, 2023. Over the review period, three OSC employees, the former associate vice chancellor, the former director of digital strategy, and the former assistant vice chancellor for marketing and creative services, spent $619,124 with their university-issued P-cards. The investigators found that 93 percent of these purchases ($575,123) were unallowable per Fayetteville State University policy. Some of the unapproved purchases included payments to individuals, consultants, and employees; invoice payments; items such as IT equipment, travel, and gifts; and over $5,000 in Amazon.com expenses. The investigation also found the former associate vice chancellor and former director of digital strategy made unallowable purchases with their T-cards. These two employees spent a combined $118,619 in T-card...