Brown Bursar Admits Stealing More Money

Lester L. Lapham, Brown University Bursar, charged with embezzling $15,600, has admitted stealing almost twice that amount, Providence police said yesterday.

Lapham was brought into custody last Saturday and pleaded innocent to the charges. He was released on $15,000 bail. When confronted with additional evidence, he later confessed to taking nearly twice the original amount, police said.

Last August, Lapham was relieved of his duties when college authorities became suspicious. A check in the pension funds confirmed their suspicions.

A district hearing is set for February 5. If Lapham is found guilty he will be tried by a grand jury and an indictment there will send the case to the state supreme court.

Police said that Lapham has stated his salary was inadequate, and that he was 'forced to live higher than I should have because of my position and what they paid me."