The director of Missouri State University’s bookstore is no longer with the university after an internal audit showed $400,000 missing from the bookstore, according to university officials. KSMU’s Jennifer Davidson has more.
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MSU’s interim president, Clif Smart, told reporters that the university suspects that the bookstore director, Mark Brixey, worked the books for years by cashing checks payable to the university and keeping some or all of that cash.
Smart said internal auditors noticed irregularities two weeks ago on how cash was handled in the bookstore. That same day, he says, investigators found over $80,000 in cash in Brixey’s desk. Internal investigators have since identified over $400,000 that is unaccounted for over the past three years, Smart said.
“And in the course of the last two weeks, both the auditors and Vice President [Earle] Doman, who was his direct supervisor, gave him several opportunities…could he explain the cash that was found in his desk, and the money that was missing. And upon him being unable to do that, on Wednesday of last week, we gave him a letter indicating that he would be terminated on Friday unless a credible reason was given. And on Friday, he came in and tendered his resignation,” Smart said.
He indicated that there could be more money missing, and the university doesn’t yet know how far back the discrepancies go.
“We have asked internal audit to go back year by year to document what, if any, additional money is missing. They have started that on the next year in sequence, four years ago. There appears to be money missing from that year. We will go back through every year,” Smart said.
He indicated that there could be more money missing, and that the university doesn’t yet know how far back the discrepancies go.
According to a release from the university, the Springfield Police Department is investigating the case.
Repeated attempts to reach Brixey at a home number were unsuccessful.
For KSMU News, I’m Jennifer Davidson.
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Smart said the university has handed over its materials to the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office. According to Missouri's online court database, Case Net, Brixey had not been charged with a crime as of Monday evening.