Maryland school official used company card on more than $100,000 in personal Amazon purchases
A former assistant superintendent for Worcester County Public Schools pleaded guilty Wednesday to a felony theft scheme involving more than $100,000 in personal Amazon purchases.
Denise R. Shorts was sentenced to 10 years, with all but five years suspended, Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard, III announced. She also faces three years of supervised probation.
"Our office remains committed to holding accountable anyone who abuses a position of public trust," said Howard, "including individuals who enrich themselves for personal gain at the expense of the community members they are entrusted to serve."
Beauty supplies, fitness equipment and vacation home décor
Shorts was the Chief Academic Officer, also known as the Assistant Superintendent, for Worcester County Public Schools from 2019 through 2025, according to Howard.
She's accused of misusing a WCPS Purchase Card, or "P-card," on $118,741.89 worth of personal items from Amazon.
The purchases included clothing, shoes, makeup and other beauty supplies, as well as pool and exercise equipment for her home and furniture and décor for a vacation property in Florida, Howard said.
She also used the P-card to buy supplies and technology for a learning center she owned in Berlin, Maryland.
Doctored invoices
Howard said Shorts submitted physically altered invoices to support the purchases.
She would print out her Amazon receipts, then cut out and tape different item descriptions or shipping addresses, then copy the altered invoices to submit with her monthly P-card statements.
Furthermore, Shorts "falsely indicated that $84,365.82 of the purchases made from Amazon were to benefit elementary schools entitled to Title I grant funds, resulting in those schools losing those funds," the release from Howard read.
When a routine audit uncovered the discrepancies in her reporting, she submitted fake personal credit card statements to claim the Amazon purchases were made with her own card.
