The former assistant dean of Seton Hall Law School and her co-conspirators were sentenced on Thursday, Dec. 5 to three years in prison for a 13-year embezzlement scheme that defrauded the school of more than $1.3 million.
Teresina DeAlmeida and co-conspirators Rose Martins and Silvia Cardoso pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a Newark federal court in July, according to northjersey.com.
Seton Hall spokesperson Michael Hyland said that the sentencing of a “former long-time, trusted Seton Hall Law School employee” concludes a case that was uncovered through the university’s internal review process.
“While the actions of those involved violated the trust of our community, they do not represent the values and integrity that define Seton Hall University,” Hyland said.
Hyland added that the university has implemented enhanced safeguards, which include “strengthened financial controls and oversight procedures that are focused on the continued integrity of Seton Hall’s operations.”
The news comes after an email to the university community in September 2022 announcing the discovery of “irregular financial transactions” occurring within the Law School’s administration. In November of that year, the dean of Seton Hall Law, Dr. Kathleen Boozang, announced her resignation. In December, it was announced that an investigation into these irregularities uncovered a “series” of embezzlement schemes.
Dr. Boozang started working at the law school in 1990 and became the dean in 2015. It is still unclear if her resignation was connected to the investigation. According to class offerings for the upcoming spring 2025 semester, Dr. Boozang is still employed by Seton Hall Law in a faculty capacity.
In addition to the 3-year prison term, DeAlmeida was sentenced to two years of supervised release and ordered restitution of nearly $1.4 million.
One of the accusations in the lawsuit of former president Dr. Joseph Nyre against Seton Hall was alleging former Chairman of the Board of Regents Kevin Marino “interfered” with the ongoing investigation into embezzlement at the university’s law school. According to the lawsuit, Dr. Nyre alleged that Marino regularly communicated with former dean Dr. Boozang in an effort to help her get a seven-figure settlement before the investigation concluded.
Jenifer Piovesan, special agent in charge of IRS Criminal Investigation at the Newark Field Office, said in a press release published by the Department of Justice that DeAlmeida chose to “enrich herself first and serve the students of the university last.”
The Department of Justice also published the specific charges incurred against DeAlmeida and her co-conspirators.
This is a developing story. Check back to The Setonian for updates.
Jacqueline Litowinsky is the head editor for The Setonian’s News section. She can be reached at jacqueline.litowinsky@student.shu.edu.
Rachel Suazo is the Editor-in-Chief of The Setonian. She can be reached at rachel.suazo@student.shu.edu.
