Former FSU Official Named in 2-Count Information for Embezzlement, False Tax Return

Former Fairmont State University Vice President and Chief Information Officer, David Tamm, is facing federal embezzlement charges.

A two count information filed in U.S. District Court by Andrew R. Cogar, Assistant U.S. Attorney, charges Tamm with one count of embezzling from a state agency receiving federal funds and one count of making and subscribing a false tax return for the 2012 tax year.

Tamm is accused of misusing funds between Oct. 2007 and Jan. 2013 while he was employed at FSU, according to court documents. The Federal Bureau of Investigation discovered that Tamm used state-issued government purchasing cards, or P-Cards, to purchase more than 300 computer switches from Pomeroy, an electronics company in Lexington, Ky. He did that several times between June 2008 and November 2012. He resold the switches for approximately $638,500, according to the complaint.

Count two charges Tamm with filing a false tax return in 2012. Tamm reported his income to the Internal Revenue Service as $149,415.

The information filed in U.S. District Court also includes a forfeiture allegation in the amount of at least $550,000. In July, U.S. District Court Judge Irene M. Keeley approved the sale of Tamm's 102 Rosewood Court home in Bridgeport that he had purchased in April 2012 with the money he obtained through his mail and wire fraud scheme, according to court filings. He closed on the property for $435,000. The Deed of Trust indicates that Tamm mortgaged the property for $342,500. Proceeds from the sale of the house were deposited into an interest-bearing escrow account maintained by the United States Marshals Service, according to court filings. If Tamm is convicted, the money from the sale of house would be forfeited to the U.S. government.

David Tamm was placed on unpaid administrative leave from the university in January 2013. Court documents said Tamm was questioned by an FBI agent on May 30. Tamm told agents that he was "not a bad person, but that he just made bad decisions."