Former manager of Dartmouth newspaper pleads guilty to stealing more than $223G

CONCORD - A Florida woman and former resident of Springfield, Vt., pleaded guilty on Tuesday to embezzling more than $223,000 from The Dartmouth ("The D"), which is the daily student newspaper at Dartmouth College.

Nicole Chambers, 40, pleaded guilty to wire fraud. She will be sentenced on Aug. 12.

Chambers was the office manager for The D between 2012 and 2021 during which she had full access to The D's finances, including its bank account, PayPal and Venmo accounts, and debit card. From April 2017-September 2021, Chambers stole money from The D, using her access to The D's PayPal accounts to make unauthorized transfers to accounts she controlled. She also made unauthorized transfers from The D's Venmo account and made unauthorized purchases on the newspaper's debit card.

In total, Chambers stole $223,372.51 from The D, according to a press release sent out Tuesday from the U.S. Attorneys Office. Chambers also misused the funds on personal expenses, including over $20,000 on personal trips. She also misspent around $2,000 of The D's money to pay fees associated with her husband's court case in Newport (Rhode Island) County Superior Court.

The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.