SAN FRANCISCO — A former academic program officer for the University of California, San Francisco will serve 20 months in federal prison for diverting $1.53 million in tuition payments into her personal bank accounts, according to authorities.
Sandra Le, 55, of San Francisco, received the sentence from U.S. District Court Judge William H. Orrick on Thursday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Le directed students enrolled in UCSF School of Nursing post-masters and special studies certificate programs to have their tuition checks made out to her, a merchandiser she purchased from, or to leave the payee line blank so she could make the checks out to herself or her associates, prosecutors said, citing Le’s plea agreement.
Prosecutors said Le deposited the checks into her bank accounts, including ones she shared with associates, and used the funds to pay for luxury items from the merchandiser, as well as for gambling, home improvement and other personal expenses.
Le concealed her conduct by creating false records of payments and enrollment for her supervisors, prosecutors said.
An investigation kicked off in May 2019, when Le took a leave of absence amid increased scrutiny from UCSF’s audit and advisory services unit. Prosecutors said the school could not reconcile tuition revenues with enrollment in the programs Le managed.
A student presented a tuition check to Le’s replacement that was made out to Le, prosecutors said. The student explained that they were following Le’s instructions.
Investigators interviewed dozens of students in the programs and reviewed Le’s bank accounts. Prosecutors said the criminal probe ultimately revealed Le diverted nearly 300 checks totaling $1,536,089.64 between November 2013 and March 2019.
Le was indicted on Aug. 26, 2021, and pleaded guilty to the wire fraud counts on Nov. 9, 2023.
In a sentencing memorandum, Le’s attorney, Julia Jayne, said her client’s actions “occurred at a time when she was depressed, abusing drugs and alcohol, in the throes of a mental health breakdown, and when she was not sharing her experience with anyone.”
“She is deeply remorseful at how low she sank in those years,” Jayne said.
Jayne asked Orrick to consider sentencing Le to home detention instead of a prison term.
“Such a disposition would not only afford her a chance at rehabilitation but also provide the necessary framework for continued access to appropriate medical care,” Jayne said.
“This, in turn, would offer Ms. Le an avenue to seek relief from the persistent pain that has afflicted her, fostering her recovery, well-being and gradual efforts at making restitution, as she could only accept employment if she is physically able to work.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, meanwhile, called on Orrick to sentence Le to two years behind bars. Her crimes were neither “the product of necessity” nor “the product of a brief lack of judgment,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum.
“Contrary to all of these, they were part of a long-term, conscious plan to steal money from a public educational institution by abusing her position,” prosecutors said.
In addition to sentencing Le to a 20-month prison term, Orrick ordered her to serve three years of supervised release and to pay at least $1.53 million in restitution, prosecutors said. The actual amount will be determined at a future court hearing.
Orrick also told Le to surrender on or before May 10 to begin serving her prison term.