Months after he resigned, the former president of Westfield State is being sued for allegedly misusing school funds.
On Thursday, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley accused Evan Dobelle of spending nearly $100,000 on personal expenses and family vacations. (Read the lawsuit
here
)
Before his resignation in November 2013, Dobelle came under fire for expenses he says he made to boost the school's brand. Coakley said Dobelle used school-issued credit cards to make hundreds of personal purchases during his six-year tenure. The purchases included family trips to Cuba and buying meals at expensive restaurants.
The former Westfield State president "blatantly misused public funds for trips that were nothing but weeklong vacations with family and friends,” according to the lawsuit.
Just weeks before he resigned late last year, Dobelle defended his reputation and responded to allegations of lavish spending.
"This situation to me is quite honestly confusing and I'm not quite sure what the genesis of it is. And I'm not quite certain why it's continually being pushed in the media,” he told Greater Boston in an October 2013 interview .
The Attorney General’s office began its investigation into Dobelle's expenses after Westfield State's Board of Trustees determined he violated university policy.
Watch Peter Kadzis interview Evan Dobelle on Greater Boston:
