Former University of Louisville dean Robert Felner sentenced to more than five years in prison

by E Wayne Ross on May 17, 2010

The Chronicle: Former U. of Louisville Dean Is Sentenced to More Than 5 Years

Robert D. Felner, the former dean of the University of Louisville’s College of Education and Human Development, was sentenced on Monday to five and a quarter years in federal prison.

Mr. Felner was indicted in October 2008 on charges that he and a confederate had misappropriated more than $2.3-million from a federal research grant and from contracts with three urban school districts.

The indictment prompted a long round of soul-searching at Louisville. Some faculty members say that the university could have detected Mr. Felner’s wrongdoing earlier if administrators had paid attention to faculty and student complaints about his conduct. Others have suggested that the university did a weak job of checking Mr. Felner’s background when he was hired in 2003.

Courier-Journal: Former University of Louisville dean Robert Felner sentenced to more than five years in prison

Robert Felner, former University of Louisville dean of education, was sentenced on Monday to 63 months in prison for his role in defrauding U of L and the University of Rhode Island of $2.3 million.

Felner — who was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Charles R. Simpson III in Louisville — pleaded guilty in January to nine federal charges, including income tax evasion.

In addition to prison time, Felner must pay restitution of $510,000 to U of L, $1.64 million to the University of Rhode Island and $88,750 to the Rock Island County Council on Addiction in Illinois.

The plea agreement was reached with the U.S. attorney’s office after Felner was indicted in October 2008 in Louisville on charges of mail fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, income tax evasion and conspiracy to impede and impair the Internal Revenue Service. The charges against Felner carried a maximum penalty of 75 years in prison.