Angela Aurora Rodriguez is charged with three second-degree felonies: theft by deception, misuse of public money, and communications fraud.
Prosecutors say the 46-year-old used a university-issued credit card to make more than $5,200 in personal purchases and submitted nearly $20,000 in fraudulent mileage reimbursements.
Rodriguez worked for USU’s Blanding campus in 2023 and was responsible for recruiting high school students while living in New Mexico. She was given a P-card to cover job-related costs and claimed reimbursement for travel and lodging.
According to court documents, Rodriguez submitted mileage claims for trips outside her assigned area, for travel during non-school hours, and for visits to schools she never actually went to.
Prosecutors say she used the P-card to buy an Apple computer in January 2024, even though the university had already issued her a work laptop. That same month, the charges state she allegedly booked flights, parking, and lodging for an eight-day trip to Illinois.
In violation of USU protocol, she also used the P-card to pay for a hotel room just 25 miles from her home, according to prosecutors. They further allege she booked a hotel in one part of New Mexico while claiming to visit schools in a completely different region.
According to the charges, several administrators at high schools she claimed to have visited told authorities they did not recognize her and had not hosted a USU recruiter in years.
Rodriguez was fired by USU in April 2024. Prosecutors say she has not repaid the university for the misused funds.
