Background Checks: A Stitch in Time to Save Nine? | A Cross-Post with LinkedIn

 

I was watching the local news and heard a story that makes my blood boil. Stephanie Olin (Olin) was recently arrested and charged with theft by a public servant and tampering with a governmental record. She had been employed by the University of Houston - Downtown (University) as an administrative assistant until the end of 2021 or so. From October through December of 2021, Olin has been accused of stealing about $8,500.00 from the University. She reportedly used her university purchasing card on 79 unauthorized Amazon purchases and two (2) months of rent. These purchases were made on her card and delivered to her apartment. After the purchases, she allegedly manipulated some records to make it look like these were legitimate expenses.

Regardless of her efforts, this case wasn't a hard one to crack.

What Drives Me Nuts

This sort of thing happens all the time. While awful, it's not uncommon. But here's where the theft victim loses a great deal of sympathy from me.

It turns out that Olin was arrested in the same jurisdiction in 2003 and charged with aggregate theft. The charge was eventually reduced to misdemeanor theft and records. Ms. Olin reportedly paid $11,400 in restitution and community supervision for one year.

It Gets Worse

Between her separation from the University and her latest arrest and charges, Olin has been employed by a local private university, Rice, for approximately three (3) months as an administrative assistant - the same role that she was in when she allegedly stole money in 2021!

Misdemeanors

And before you ask, misdemeanor and felony charges, even if dismissed, remain on a person's record forever and show up on all background checks unless sealed or expunged. There is no evidence that Olin's prior crime was sealed or expunged. That means that two (2) local universities placed Olin in exactly the same position, with similar access to funds, that she previously was arrested and charged for. My strong suspicion is that neither university ran a routine background check before hiring her.

Takeaway

The takeaway from this item is clear and simple: the issue could have been avoided by simply doing a background check prior to hiring. Instead, the University of Houston - Downtown, and later Rice University, placed themselves at risk simply by failing to take a quick, inexpensive action in having a background check done.

Don't make the same mistake that they did. Just get background checks done on prospective employees, or make job offers contingent upon successful examination of background checks. Easy peasy.