Former BSU Employee Charged With Felony Fraud

A former physical plant manager at Bemidji State University has been charged with felony financial card fraud.

Jeff Sande, 66, was charged today in Beltrami County Court after an investigation into numerous purchases he is alleged to have made with his university issued purchasing card.

He is accused of making the purchases without the university’s consent to obtain property for his personal benefit.

A BSU investigation alleges that Sande made the unauthorized purchases between 2010 and October 2016. According to the criminal complaint in the case, Sande admitted to using his BSU Payment Card (p-card) to buy merchandise in excess of $36,000 for his personal benefit. The investigation found since June 2013 that Sande made over $25,000 of unauthorized transactions using his p-card.

On August 10, 2017, detectives executed a search warrant at Sande’s Bemidji home and seized 20 pieces of equipment or other items purchased by Sande without the authorization of the university including lawn mowers, trimmers, and other equipment.

According to the criminal complaint, Sande worked at BSU for over 40 years and was promoted to the position of Physical Plant Manager in 2007. It says he was terminated from his job by the University in October 2016.

Sande is scheduled to appear in court on June 1. If convicted, the maximum sentence Sande could face for Financial Transaction Card Fraud Use-No Consent is 10 years in prison, a $20,000 fine or both.