A former Kennesaw State facilities director was recently charged after he allegedly stole nearly $100,000 worth of technical equipment from the university and sold it online.
Derrick Smith, 33, was arrested on Oct. 16, and charged with two felony counts of theft by taking, according to the Marietta Daily Journal. Smith allegedly took a shipment of 12 Cisco Transceiver Modules that were meant to go to the university’s networking department in 2017.
According to warrants, the modules were later sold through his fiancee’s eBay account. Eight of the 12 missing modules were later recovered with the help of Smith’s attorney, according to the MDJ. The serial numbers of the modules matched those on a purchasing order that the university provided.
Smith also allegedly stole 11 Microsoft Surface Pro 4 computers that were accidentally shipped to KSU in 2017. According to the MDJ, Smith allegedly sold 10 of the computers online.
Each missing computer was valued at over $1,500 at the time. The MDJ reported that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was able to reach three of the people who purchased the computers online, confirming that the serial numbers matched those of the university’s purchase order.
According to the MDJ, the university lost a total of $92,000 — $78,000 from the missing modules and $14,300 from the missing computers.
Smith was released from jail on a bond of over $110,000 on Oct. 17.
KSU Spokeswoman Tammy DeMel told the MDJ that Smith no longer works with the university.
