January 22, 2015
Police in Dallas are alleging a cover-up at CollinCollege concerning recent accusations of a textbook theft scheme. The police believe efforts were underway to steal $1.5 million worth of books and they are asking the three college officials named in the accusations to resign.
In August, the officers filed a whistleblower lawsuit claiming their schedules were changed and their work environment turned hostile after they made claims against the officials. The attorney representing the officers, Victoria Neave, stated in a recent press conference that the officers are taking action because they don’t believe tax payers should be on the hook for the $1.5 million. They also claim that information is being hidden from investigators and that the three officers involved were ordered by the college to top their investigation regarding the disappearance of the text books. At the time they were ordered to stop, the officers believe they had already uncovered evidence that high-ranking officials at the school were involved in the scheme.
Collin Denies Claims of Missing Books
CollinCollege officials responded to Neave’s statement by calling the officers disgruntled. They also claim the whistleblower suit is meritless because not only is there no cover-up, there are actually no missing text books. They blame a library computer error for the appearance of the missing books, but state there is ultimately no evidence of missing texts. The college stated the investigation into the missing texts was turned over to two independent third-party firms that found the accusations to be “inaccurate and unsubstantiated.”
CollinCollege is the academic home of nearly 53,000 students. They are a community college founded in 1985 and located north and northeast of Dallas with campuses in Allen, Frisco, McKinney, Plano, and Rockwall.
Possible FBI Investigation
Officers originally began an investigation of a low-level college employee regarding the missing texts. It didn’t take long for them to surmise that a complex scheme was underway that involved higher-ups at Collin. The three high-ranking officials accused of the cover-up include the director of public safety, the police chief, and the chief financial officer. This past September, the president of Collin resigned, which Neave says was done in relation to the case.
The claims in the whistleblower suit include a written threat delivered to one officer’s home after the grievance was filed. The threat named all three officers and is currently in the hands of the Collin County Sheriff’s office. Neave and the officers claim that not only is the investigation into the text books being swept under the rug, the threat is also being ignored. She further explained that the FBI and other law enforcement agencies are still conducting investigations of the theft. A Dallas FBI spokeswoman declined comment.
