North Idaho College’s former director of financial aid attempted to get a little creative and have a some fun with how grants were handed out to students. The kind of fun that ends with allegations of sexual misconduct and charges of “attempted misuse of public funds, attempted procurement of prostitution, burglary, bribery and using a computer in a scheme to defraud.”
That’s where we meet 36-year-old Joseph Bekken, arrested Wednesday after authorities investigated a series of Craigslist postings that offered grants and aid at North Idaho College in exchange for sexual favors. According to KXLY, authorities have not released how they were able to trace the online postings back to the financial aid head, but he was being held in custody as of the last update in the story for his alleged role in the scandal.
North Idea College president Joe Dunlap released an email statement that addressed the allegations and announced Bekken’s removal from his job at the college, a position he had held since 2010:
“The individual charged in this case is no longer an employee of the college and has not been since the issue first came to light. North Idaho College has worked alongside law enforcement from the very beginning of the investigation. I am grateful for the knowledge and training of our staff, which resulted in a swift and decisive response to this incident. Communication throughout this process has been greatly enhanced by the work of NIC’s school resource officer, who serves both NIC and the Coeur d’Alene Police Department. In addition, our institution’s emphasis on compliance with Title IX training requirements for all employees has resulted in a heightened awareness on reporting incidents within the college. All of these factors helped NIC respond to this situation promptly and proactively.,” Dunlap wrote.
You have to wonder where some folks go in their mind that allows them to do things like this. Someone is bound to find out at some point that you used funds that were most likely federally backed to coerce students into having sex. You’d have a better chance of finding a real prostitute to take your personal money and have sex with you. It’s still illegal, but at least you’re not shaking the piggy bank in front of everybody you work with.
(Via KXLY)