Former community college worker charged with theft

Authorities have accused a former purchasing coordinator at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory of using $179,000 in college money to buy computer equipment that she then sold on eBay.

Mary Sherrill, 52, of Hickory, was charged Friday with theft of a program receiving federal funds, Acting U.S. Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose said Friday.

The charge carries a maximum 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

As purchasing coordinator from October 2010 to December 2014, Sherrill was authorized to place orders for equipment and other goods on behalf of the college and to pay using the college’s funds, prosecutors said.

Sherrill, however, “fraudulently and without authority” used the funds to purchase computer hard drives, printer cartridges and other small computer-related items that she then sold over the Internet using her personal eBay seller account and kept the profits, according to court records.

A signed plea agreement also was filed in federal court Friday, and Sherrill is expected to enter her guilty plea before a U.S. magistrate judge when the hearing is scheduled by the court, Rose said.

Sherrill declined comment to the Observer.

Staff Researcher Maria David contributed.

This story was originally published June 26, 2015 at 3:05 PM with the headline "Former community college worker charged with theft."