Chris Spognardi pocketed 14,000 dollars. Could be in a lot of trouble?

#26
#26
Spognardi: Hey! I went to HS with him.

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#27
#27
DeerPark12 said:
Your experience as a plant manager is completely different than how the process works in college athletics.

If you think the head football coach or the athletics director signs off on the football operations expense report, you need your head examined.

Here's how it actually works at UT: The director of operations is given an amount of cash by the athletics business office that both parties determine will be enough to cover the necessary expenses. Hotel and transportation costs are covered by direct billing to UT. All meals, incidentals and tips for meals and other services are covered by cash. At the end of the trip, the director of operations turns in the leftover cash and receipts that cover the rest. Any discrepancy is supposed to be rectified before the next travel event. In many cases, a handwritten receipt for tips for services like the hotel bellman, police escort, airport and charter air employees and waitresses is acceptable.

There's a lot about the story that doesn't add up. The state auditor report says Spognardi made up receipts to cover about $14k over a three-year period. They never alleged that he actually pocketed the money and after investigating bank and other records over a year-long investigation, they actually found there was no evidence to support the allegation that he did.

Even prosecutors agreed there was no evidence to support a theft charge. He pled guilty last week in Knox County Court to official misconduct for doctoring the receipts and will have the charge removed from his record if he stays out of trouble for a year.

Since the UT system started requiring teams to use cash instead of an official UT credit card for team travel expenses in 2005, this is the eighth time a coach or director of operations at a UT system school has been investigated by the state. It's a horrible system that is hopefully being fully corrected after all of this. I know some teams were able to use cards to pay for some things last year.

Here's the bottom line to the story. Another University has hired him despite all of this. A lot of people in the football community have blamed UT's policies for this, not him.
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/end thread
 
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#29
#29
DeerPark12 said:
Your experience as a plant manager is completely different than how the process works in college athletics.

If you think the head football coach or the athletics director signs off on the football operations expense report, you need your head examined.

Here's how it actually works at UT: The director of operations is given an amount of cash by the athletics business office that both parties determine will be enough to cover the necessary expenses. Hotel and transportation costs are covered by direct billing to UT. All meals, incidentals and tips for meals and other services are covered by cash. At the end of the trip, the director of operations turns in the leftover cash and receipts that cover the rest. Any discrepancy is supposed to be rectified before the next travel event. In many cases, a handwritten receipt for tips for services like the hotel bellman, police escort, airport and charter air employees and waitresses is acceptable.

There's a lot about the story that doesn't add up. The state auditor report says Spognardi made up receipts to cover about $14k over a three-year period. They never alleged that he actually pocketed the money and after investigating bank and other records over a year-long investigation, they actually found there was no evidence to support the allegation that he did.

Even prosecutors agreed there was no evidence to support a theft charge. He pled guilty last week in Knox County Court to official misconduct for doctoring the receipts and will have the charge removed from his record if he stays out of trouble for a year.

Since the UT system started requiring teams to use cash instead of an official UT credit card for team travel expenses in 2005, this is the eighth time a coach or director of operations at a UT system school has been investigated by the state. It's a horrible system that is hopefully being fully corrected after all of this. I know some teams were able to use cards to pay for some things last year.

Here's the bottom line to the story. Another University has hired him despite all of this. A lot of people in the football community have blamed UT's policies for this, not him.
Click to expand...

Interesting - maybe they should go back to the credit card approach. It doesn't get entirely rid of the cash though - most tips at hotels and to valet personnel etc, is still cash.
 
#30
#30
PrattvilleVol said:
Very inefficient company that is most likely losing a lot of money in expenses. Large companies do not operate that way for sure.
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Our company does the same as you say and it's a global company with huge profit margin. Manager has to get it signed off on by senior manager if under a certain amount and plant president if over a certain amount
 
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#33
#33
volfan102455 said:
Interesting - maybe they should go back to the credit card approach. It doesn't get entirely rid of the cash though - most tips at hotels and to valet personnel etc, is still cash.
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Use the reimbursement system for cash related expenses.
 
#34
#34
Vollymall said:
If it's anything like my employer, I submit the report and my boss' secretary stamps it literally with a rubber stamp of his signature. As long as you have a receipt it isn't questioned
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Most companies will require a receipt for any expense regardless of the amount.Most companies do not want or allow many cash transactions either
 
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#35
#35
Our company uses a third party to book all travel for us using a company credit card (best rates, lowest fares, etc). We are reimbursed a set per diem for meals and incidentals every day. If we don’t spend all the per diem we just pocket it. If we go over it’s on us. I usually end up making about $20/day extra when I travel because I eat light.

Easy peasy.
 
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#36
#36
Voltrapnbama said:
Our company does the same as you say and it's a global company with huge profit margin. Manager has to get it signed off on by senior manager if under a certain amount and plant president if over a certain amount
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Spot on! Any expense report over in our case $7500 have to go through multiple approvals
 
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#38
#38
With a credit card system, the transactions come from the credit card company. That is generally the receipt though some companies may also require a printed or digital receipt to confirm the charge.

With a cash system, receipts are generally required to prove charges. They are not tied back to another verifiable transaction that appears in the system - hence the problem - they can be doctored, then scanned and the person approving would not know the difference - unless he/she picked up the phone and called the company / person who supplied the receipt.

Most mangers are just comparing what was submitted to the total on the receipt to see if they match along with validation that the charges are reasonable within the policies. The only way to catch discrepancies is to audit back to the source. With a credit card approach you have two different sources - the receipt and the credit card transaction (source). With cash, you only have the receipt.

I am surprised that UT, with the budget is has does not use the credit card system. A lot easier on both the person traveling and the ones that approve and audit the charges.
 
#40
#40
Butch was paid over $6 million to leave the university and people are upset about this guy covering up a few thousand dollars.
 
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#42
#42
PrattvilleVol said:
Um yeah....As a long time Plant Mgr. at several companies. That’s exactly how it works. He may have been under Hart but nevertheless, your immediate Manager signs the expense report up thru upper management and finance management. Get back to me when you have a clue.
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I seriously doubt the UT football program operates the same way as "the plant."


And "hang this bastard"? Really? Seriously?
 
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#43
#43
"Chris Spognardi pocketed 14,000 dollars. Could be in a lot of trouble?"

If by "could be in a lot of trouble" you mean he has to repay the 14k, and received a one year probationary sentence, then yeah. That is what he received in Knox County Criminal Court last week.
 
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#44
#44
TNREADER said:
"Chris Spognardi pocketed 14,000 dollars. Could be in a lot of trouble?"

If by "could be in a lot of trouble" you mean he has to repay the 14k, and received a one year probationary sentence, then yeah. That is what he received in Knox County Criminal Court last week.
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Just image what would have happened if he stole paperclips and Pens
 
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#45
#45
PrattvilleVol said:
Um yeah....As a long time Plant Mgr. at several companies. That’s exactly how it works. He may have been under Hart but nevertheless, your immediate Manager signs the expense report up thru upper management and finance management. Get back to me when you have a clue.
Click to expand...

Be honest now - by "plant manager", you meant you watered flowers for several companies, didn't you?
 
#48
#48
PrattvilleVol said:
Very inefficient company that is most likely losing a lot of money in expenses. Large companies do not operate that way for sure.
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I’ve worked for a couple of Fortune 500 companies and no one ever double checked validity of receipts (contacted person I met with, etc). Of course if you’re going to jeopardize your career over some bogus receipts, you’re special stupid.
 
#50
#50
Burger said:
Use the reimbursement system for cash related expenses.
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When you are talking about paying for something for travel party of 300, that’s not realistic. Individual people can’t get that much cash most of the time.

They will always have to carry cash to hand out Perdiem to athletes and staff, the one football trips they do that ahead of time. Some cash will always be needed. But I agree that they should go back to using a credit card for most expenses, in fact they already have for many expenses.

University credit cards were discontinued for a time after a previous university president racked up thousands of dollars in personal purchases on his university card. The state made an over reaction in banning the use of university cards for just about everything. Slowly, they have allowed use of them more, it’s finally coming back to team travel.
 
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