Louisville, Ky. (WHAS11) - An audit shows hundreds of thousands of dollars in University of Louisville money was spent on anything but university needs.
Instead, items like lingerie, iPods, and a now former employee's house were purchased.
WHAS11's investigative reporter Adam Walser has learned that these are not the first allegations in the former employee's past.
The alleged theft was discovered back in February and the employee was fired after admitting taking $150,000.
But the audit, which was released Wednesday night, indicates that the total damage was likely much higher.
When former University of Louisville Dean Robert Felner was arrested and eventually plead guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal grants, the University of Louisville vowed new safeguards would keep the same thing from ever happening again.
But an audit released by the university indicates that Alisha ward, a former program coordinator for the Equine Industry Program, is believed to have taken or misspent almost as much. According to auditors, more than $550,000 was improperly spent.
University of Louisville President James Ramsey addressed the situation Thursday, saying Ward's supervisor, who has since been demoted, should have caught the thefts.
Ward was caught when a contractor working on her new home in the Highlands contacted the university after receiving a tax form that he didn't understand from the university.
Auditors discovered ward paid for $40,000 in home renovations with university money.
But that was not all, auditors say she also wrote herself 132 checks totaling $150,000, paid for thousands of dollars in travel, bought computers, iPhones and even lingerie, using university checks and credit cards.
Auditors say Ward even set up a PayPal account to help her divert money from university accounts to herself.
WHAS11 discovered that Ward may have exhibited similar behavior in the past.
The owner of the Nitty Gritty consignment shop, who didn't want to talk on camera, said she fired Ward several years ago after she wrote unauthorized checks from the business account.
At the time, Ward allegedly told her boss she used the money to buy art supplies for her boyfriend.
We also learned that back in 1996, Ward was convicted in Sumpter County Georgia of deposit account fraud, which is a misdemeanor charge that likely wouldn't have prevented her from working at U of L.
Ward was paid $42,000 a year in her job at the university.
WHAS11 tried to contact her Thursday but we were unable to find her.
She is not charged with a crime but federal prosecutors are investigating.
