A Fairbanks jury has convicted a former Yukon-Koyukuk School District employee who turned a taxpayer-funded purchase card into her personal shopping account, buying everything from plane tickets to lingerie — and even beard oil — in a $35,000 spending spree.
Lataushia Shajuan Blackmer, 50, was found guilty of one count of Scheme to Defraud and one count of First-Degree Theft following a several-day trial before retired Superior Court Judge Mark Wood.
Prosecutors said Blackmer began working for the district’s grants department in July 2018 and was issued a purchase card for school-related expenses. Just two months later, she began using the card for personal purchases, continuing until her termination in June 2019.
Evidence showed that she misappropriated roughly $35,000 over nine months, including plane tickets for herself and a friend who was not employed by the district, groceries, beauty products, and lingerie. Many of the purchases were made on weekends, after hours, or while she was on personal or sick leave.
District employees became suspicious after spotting the out-of-state plane tickets, triggering an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with help from past and present school district staff.
“The defendant exploited her position of trust to steal public funds from a school system, which is not only a crime, but also a betrayal to students, teachers, and taxpayers,” said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “The FBI will continue to work with partners across all jurisdictions … to hold offenders accountable.”
Fairbanks District Attorney Joe Dallaire praised the work of Senior Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Crail, Intern Aaron Schlenkert, and paralegals Mariana Rios and Jaboha Smothers, calling the case “a collaborative effort to see justice prevail.”
Sentencing is scheduled for January.