SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. — A former Shippensburg University employee is accused of using school funds to make close to $15,000 in personal purchases between April and August 2023.
Anissa Burkholder, 34, of Shippensburg, was a secretary in the chemistry/physics department at the college. Investigators say the school's accounting department noticed discrepancies on a department credit card and club bank account and alerted campus police, who contacted authorities.
Burkholder had access to the credit card and bank account so she could make authorized purchases for the department and club, according to a criminal complaint. University policy instructed that the receipt for any purchase and an authorization form signed by a department supervisor must be submitted to the accounting department after anything was bought.
Police say a new supervisor took over the chemistry/physics department in May 2023, and it was her signature that appeared on the forms with Burkholder's fraudulent purchases. The new supervisor denied knowing anything about the scheme when police questioned her, and Burkholder allegedly admitted to using an electronic version of her new supervisor's signature to forge the needed documents.
Law enforcement says that by August 2023, Burkholder had bought at least 487 items with Shippensburg University's money, totaling $14,674.15. She also allegedly admitted to withdrawing $400.65 from a club bank account for her personal use.
Burkholder allegedly attempted to return some of the items and send the credit receipts to university accounting after being confronted by Shippensburg administration.
Burkholder is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on March 27.
