HOUSTON- Texas Southern University’s former president betrayed the trust of students, officials and the community when she put her needs ahead of the school’s by misspending funds to lavishly decorate her home, prosecutors told jurors Monday.
During closing arguments in the trial of Priscilla Slade, jurors were told she didn’t care about being financially responsible when it came to spending school funds.
“That is the Priscilla Slade that duped the Legislature, Board of Regents and everybody that put their trust in her to put the mission of Texas Southern University (ahead of) herself,” prosecutor Donna Goode said.
But Mike DeGeurin, Slade’s attorney, told jurors that the nearly two-month trial has been about insinuations and it has been an attack on his client’s personality.
“Just because you call it misapplication (of school funds) doesn’t make it so,” DeGeurin said.
After more than three hours of closing arguments, jurors began deliberating the case Monday afternoon.
Slade was president of the state’s largest historically black university for more than six years until she was fired in 2006.
Prosecutors accuse Slade of misspending more than half a million dollars in TSU funds to make extravagant purchases for her homes, including a 25-place dinner set worth nearly $40,000, a $17,000 sectional sofa and silk chairs that cost a total of almost $10,000.
DeGeurin said Slade’s purchases were legitimate and done for the benefit of TSU and she never tried to hide them as they were documented with the proper paper work.
“I challenge the defense to tell you how her housing money that she spent for her personal benefit was allowable. It wasn’t allowable. She didn’t get it approved by the board (of regents). It wasn’t in her contract,” Goode told the jury, made up of six men and six women. Two men and one woman on the jury are black.
Slade, 55, is on trial for one of two counts of misapplication of fiduciary property with a value over $200,000.
Quintin Wiggins, described as Slade’s “yes man” and accomplice by prosecutors, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in May for his part in the misspending.
Two other TSU workers were indicted, but one had charges dropped.
Witnesses for Slade lauded her work at TSU, including increasing enrollment and donations.
The allegations against Slade coincided with reports that revealed a pattern of financial mismanagement at TSU and prompted Gov. Rick Perry to call for a state takeover of the university that was later put on hold. The entire nine-member board of regents resigned at Perry’s request.
Enrollment at TSU this fall, 9,544 students, is at its lowest in five years. School officials acknowledge enrollment has been affected by TSU’s scandals.