Former St. Kate’s dean pleads guilty to swindling from the St. Paul university

An ex-dean of nursing at St Catherine University charged last year with embezzling from the school through bogus contracts with her boyfriend pleaded guilty to one count of theft by swindle Tuesday and will be put on probation Laura Jean Fero reached a plea agreement with Ramsey County prosecution that includes up to three years of probation and a stay of imposition which means the felony conviction will be considered a misdemeanor is she successfully completes probation Five other felony theft by swindle charges will be dismissed at sentencing which is set for June Laura Jean Fero Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff s Office Fero was St Catherine s dean of nursing from June through Aug when she left the St Paul private college to take a job as dean of nursing and chief academic nurse at AdventHealth University in Orlando She s no longer employed by the university Fero who now lives in Boone N C appeared for Tuesday s plea hearing via remote Upon questioning on facts of the situation Fero admitted she entered into contracts with Juan Ramon Bruce a Shakopee wellbeing care consultant beginning in August and that she didn t follow the university s process of seeking requests for proposals beforehand Fero also admitted she didn t disclose to school leadership she was involved in a romantic relationship with Bruce who she met in on a dating website For the count in which she pleaded guilty Fero affirmed a message by Assistant Ramsey County Attorney Tom Madison that Bruce was not producing appropriate or expected work for the size of the contract Bruce was charged with the same six counts three days after Fero A jury in July deliberated less than four hours before acquitting him of all charges His attorney Debra Hilstrom advised the Pioneer Press after the verdict We revealed from the very beginning that Mr Bruce did the work that he was hired to do They met on Elitesingles com St Catherine leaders discovered missing funds after Fero left for the Florida job The university conducted an internal assessment The university revealed its findings to St Paul police in late November A police review of financial records manifested Bruce s company JB Associates LLC received six payments from St Catherine totaling between August and August The contracted work included outreach marketing and field and cost analysis for continuing mentoring rise and delivery for the Catholic liberal arts school in St Paul s Highland Park area The charges against Fero say she sent an email to Bruce in October where she referenced meeting him on a dating website Several emails she sent one day in July mentioned how they have traveled together to countless places over the previous two years and how she loves him deeply Related Articles California man arrested near Justice Kavanaugh s home with a gun pleads guilty to attempted murder Brooklyn Park driver charged in Wisconsin crash that killed restaurant owner David Burley Idaho mom who killed of her kids goes on trial over death of her husband Little Canada man pleads guilty to strangling sex worker in Eagan hotel room St Paul resident federally indicted in MS- gang-related murder in Florida The charges say a review of Fero s university credit card evidenced she racked up in expenses airfare rental cars hotels and airport parking for trips with Bruce to Miami Atlanta and Phoenix in Cancun in and Orlando in The study ascertained additional emails indicating that Fero helped Bruce with specific of the reports he was providing to the university to receive his contract funds the charges say In an interview with police Fero initially noted she met Bruce from a cold call to St Catherine about physiological supplies and that they were not in a relationship prior to the university contracting with him Fero later announced she had met him on the dating website Elitesingles com and that she supposed the relationship did not constitute a conflict of interest Fero admitted to police to editing documents that Bruce submitted to St Catherine the charges say