MAJURO — A former College of the Marshall Islands staff has been charged with stealing more than $145,000 from the college.
On Wednesday, former CMI business manager Louiston Louis pleaded not guilty to 15 counts of grand larceny and 15 counts of cheating for allegedly taking $145,783.72. At his arraignment, Chief Justice Charles Henry set bail at $300, ordered him to turn in his passport so he cannot leave the country, and set a preliminary hearing for Aug. 2.
The charges claim that as early as Nov. 5, 1999, Louis began taking money from the college. The amounts of the checks that he cashed or converted to his own use range from a low of $1,435 to a high of $28,500, according to the charges.
On May 3, the most recent item in the charges, he cashed a college check for $20,000, which led to his discovery, according to a police report with the charges. Acting CMI President John Tuthill said Louis was terminated on May 30.
The May 3 check for $20,000 on a Bank of Hawaii account was for a deposit to CMI’s Bank of Guam account. An investigation of a deposit receipt from Bank of Guam shortly after this showed that it had been altered and the bank had not registered the $20,000 deposit, according to the police report. It adds that when Tuthill confronted Louis, he admitted taking and using the money.
