An Inglorious History

Randy J. Gomes ’02 and Suzanne M. Pomey ’02 are not the first Harvard students accused of embezzlement.

The most serious student theft on campus occurred nearly a decade ago.

Charles K. Lee ’93 and David G. Sword ’93 were indicted in 1994 for embezzling almost $130,000 from Evening With Champions (EWC), an annual charity ice-skating exhibition that raises money for the Jimmy Fund, which benefits children with cancer.

Lee, a former EWC co-chair, was charged with 66 counts of larceny for stealing about $120,000 from the group.

He pleaded guilty and served one year in prison.

Sword, a former EWC treasurer, pleaded guilty to a larceny charge for embezzling about $7,000, but did not serve any jail time.

Because of the theft, EWC was not able to donate any money to the Jimmy Fund in 1992.

Investigators discovered that the student group’s record-keeping was disorganized.

Lee said in 1993 many of the accounting books for EWC had been thrown away and that Sword kept a milk carton full of receipts that were lost.

“A lot of it was thrown out by me,” Lee said. “I don’t think there’s a necessity to keep it.”

Both Lee and Sword were well-known on campus. Lee drove expensive sports cars, smoked Cuban cigars and owned an expensive stereo system. Sword served as business manager for the Hasty Pudding Theatricals and producer for CityStep, a student-run dance program for underprivileged children, and spent much of his time at the Fox final club.

In 1995, two incidents that were smaller in scale surfaced.

The general manager of the Krokodiloes was forced to resign after he allegedly used $3,000 of the a capella group’s funds on personal expenses. Then the president and business manager of the yearbook were forced to step down because of spending abuses.

In 1996, College administrators alleged that Natalie J. Szekeres, Class of 1997, embezzled $7,550 from the Currier House Committee over a six-month period in 1995.

Szekeres, who served as treasurer of the House committee during that period, allegedly wrote checks to herself from the committee account and cashed them at various banks, court records charge.

After the allegations were made public, Szekeres’ family sent a check for more than $12,000 to the University.

The University decided not to press charges against Szekeres after the payment was made.

“Her family has made full restitution and the University has informed the district attorney that we do not wish to prosecute,” said University attorney Anne Taylor in April 1996.

Szekeres never graduated from the College, although she did eventually receive a Harvard degree from the extension school.

—Amit R. Paley