The trial for the accused Florida A&M Federal Credit Union embezzlers begins today. Eugene Telfair, former president of the FAMU Federal Credit Union and Robert Nixon, director of FAMU’s Institute on Urban Policy and Commerce, are set to stand trial for conspiracy, theft from an organization receiving federal funds and embezzlement of funds entrusted to a federally insured credit union. The pair allegedly embezzled over $130,000 between 2005 and 2008.
Telfair and Nixon were originally set to stand trial in September, but a federal judge decided to reschedule it until November.
Jury selection began last week and the oral arguments will begin Monday morning. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, if convicted, both men could face up to 70 years in prison.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Insurance Fraud investigated the case.
Telfair and Nixon wrote one another checks from the Credit Union and created fraudulent personal services contracts to make the payments appear legitimate.
Telfair is also alleged to have created false tax documents and to have changed the taxpayer identification number (TIN) on the grant account that was assigned to FAMU to the TIN of his credit union so the money would go to him, according to the U.S Attorney’s Office.
The trial begins at 9 a.m. at the U.S. District Court located at 111 N. Adams St.