LOGAN, Utah — A professor at Utah State University was arrested Monday after police say they discovered he had submitted fraudulent reimbursements over the span of a few years, totaling more than $11,800.
Terry Messmer works for the Department of Wildland Resources in USU's College of Natural Resources. He is a professor and an extension wildlife specialist, according to the department directory.
Utah State University officials told FOX 13 News that Messmer left the university and was no longer an employee as of the end of the day Tuesday.
"University officials are taking and will continue to take appropriate action based on USU policies," leaders wrote in a statement.
According to an arrest report, the USU Police Department was contacted by the USU Audit Office in March about their investigation into Messmer. They said they discovered a pattern of Messmer submitting reimbursement forms for money that was not actually owed to him.
The alleged fraudulent activity spanned from May 2018 to as recently as January of this year. Messmer has worked at the university for about 30 years, according to USU Police.
Messmer traveled a lot for his work, and investigators say they found that he took university-owned fleet vehicles on these trips — but then upon returning, he would submit reimbursement claims saying he used his personal vehicle. Police said this happened a total of 24 documented times, with $10,451 paid directly to him.
Police also said there were 10 incidents in which Messmer improperly claimed other expenses for work trips. These included extra per diem payout requests that did not qualify, and booking lodging for additional days before or after the event he was traveling for.
They said he took his family with him on some of these trips — including to a family wedding, for which auditors said they "noticed that the house size and number of guests had been what appeared to be whited out/altered" when he submitted the claim for a multi-bedroom Airbnb rental.
These additional alleged fraudulent claims added up to $1,420, bringing the total amount to $11,871.
Court documents state that Messmer admitted to submitting these false claims but said he didn't know why he did it.
He was arrested on suspicion of "pattern of unlawful activity," a single second-degree felony count. He was granted release from jail with conditions such as appearing in court when called.
