Former Harvard Employee Pleads Guilty To $80,000 Theft Defendant Used Harvard Credit Card To Purchase DVDs, Apple Products, And Lego Sets

WOBURN – Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan has announced that Shawn Bunn, 45, of Waltham, pled guilty today in Middlesex Superior Court to charges of larceny, false entry in corporate books, and uttering of forged documents in connection with using his Harvard University employee credit card to pay for personal purchases. 

Judge Kimberly Budd sentenced Bunn to two years in the House of Correction with three months to serve to be followed by probation for ten years. The defendant was ordered to pay $80,000 in restitution to the university. 

“For four years the defendant used Harvard University funds for his own purposes,” said District Attorney Ryan. “Instead of university funds enriching the educational experience of Harvard students, as intended, the defendant chose to make personal purchases totaling $80,000.”

A 17-year employee of Harvard University, Shawn Bunn worked in a computer lab. During that time Harvard issued him a credit card for the express purpose of making purchases for the lab. University policy dictated that Bunn submit a receipt of all purchases over $75 and explain the nature of the purchases, as well as the applicability of the acquired item to his division.

The defendant purchased multiple Apple products through a university purchasing program that he billed to Harvard but appropriated for personal use. A review by Harvard University’s finance department found hundreds of unauthorized purchases on the defendant’s Harvard credit card. When authorities executed a search warrant on the defendant’s home and office they discovered many of those items including televisions, Star Wars-themed Lego sets, iPads, a table saw, and a compost tumbler.

Additional items charged to the credit card included approximately 200 DVDs and 100 CDs, Amazon gift cards, seven controllers for a Nintendo Wii video game console, a grand piano bench, and a Dr. Who Tardis cookie jar.

This incident was investigated by the Harvard University Police Department and the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office.

The prosecutor assigned to this case was Assistant District Attorney Kristen Noto.