Associate Professor of Political Philosophy Kateri Carmola has been charged with embezzling $4,500 worth of funds from the Salisbury Historical Society. Carmola will appear at the Addison County District Court on April 4 for a status conference on the case. The offense caries felony charges under Vermont state law with penalties of up to 10 years in prison or a $500 fine..
The administration offered no comment on the College’s response to the charges.
“It would be premature to comment on this legal case or to speculate about what, if anything, the College’s response will be,” wrote Provost and Executive Vice President of the College Allison Byerly in an email. “We do not yet have a full understanding of the extent to which, if at all, Middlebury College-related activities were involved.”
Alison Stanger, chair of the political science department, declined to comment on the situation.
Carmola did not return requests for comment.
The Addison County Independent published an online article on March 21 announcing the charges. According to the Independent, court records demonstrate that Carmola made 11 withdraws ranging from $200 to $1,000 from the account of the Salisbury Historical Society between July 6 and Sept. 8, 2010 while serving as treasurer of the society. Carmola told investigators that she used the funds from the organization’s account “to pay personal expenses associated with some Middlebury College-related trips.”
According to President of the Salisbury Historical Society Barry Whitney, the organization raises $2,000 worth of funds “in a good year.” The use of society funds must be approved by the society’s full board of trustees, said Whitney.
Society board members first discovered the missing funds last fall and called an emergency meeting. Carmola attended the meeting, wrote a check to cover the balance owed and agreed to resign from the board. Whitney reported that the board members did not wish to press charges, but that community members of the society who learned of the incident urged the board members to inform state law enforcement.
Carmola was officially charged on Dec. 23, 2010, and pleaded innocent in district court on Feb. 7 of this year.
Vermont State Police Trooper Joseph Szarejko wrote in the report that Carmola was “now aware that she made a mistake; she did not think anything was wrong with borrowing the money at first until she was confronted about this issue.”
Although Carmola has no previous criminal record, the Independent reported that a conviction for felony embezzlement carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $500, or both.
Carmola has been a faculty member at the College since 2001 and has received tenure. Carmola is currently teaching a course titled “Power and Powerlessness” as well as “Introduction to Political Philosophy.”
Professor charged with embezzlement
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