St.John’s University Dean found dead, 24 hours after she appeared at Courts

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06 Nov 2012

by admin

A disgraced dean of St. John’s University accused of embezzling one million from the university coffers and using foreign-exchange students as her personal maids committed suicide on Tuesday, just 24 hours after she took the stand in her own defense-against the wishes of her lawyers.

Jesse Ward/for New York Daily News

Cecilia Chang’s, 59, body was discovered at her Queen’s home after her son unable to reach her over the phone called 9-1-1, the New York Daily News reported.
The newspaper said that she was belligerent and often incoherent during her testimony at Monday’s hearings.
Related Article: Exchange student forced to work like servant at Dean’s home
Chang when interviewed by federal officers categorically denied embezzling money from the university. She has reportedly said that she took money what is owed to her.
Her body was discovered around 7.30 am on Tuesday after fire-fighters broke into her house after her son’s call. The NY Daily News said that her body was found hanging from the attic with a folding ladder nearby. She had also tried to slash her wrists and gas herself before committing suicide by hanging.
Police said she had left a note written in Chinese.
Previous story that appeared on October 15^th.
A foreign exchange student who feared that her scholarship would be taken away had to work like a servant to a dean of a prestigious New York university, a court heard today.

The student, a Chinese national Peiyi Gan, cooked, cleaned, swept, did dishes and the laundry for Dr Cecelia Chang, the dean of the Asian studies at St John’s University. Dr Chang is also accused of embezzling $ one million, according to the New York Post.
The money Dr Chang embezzled were used for shopping sprees and for gambling at top-notch casinos, according to the videotaped deposition submitted at Brooklyn Federal court.
The dean has directed Gan to doctor documents so she could claim hundreds of thousands of dollars from the university. She is alleged to have disguised her personal expenses as official expenditure to claim money from the university.
“She asked me to do every month”, Gan, 31, has said.
Testifying further Gan said that she faxed forged documents to casinos where Dr Chang gambled frequently. Gan received her Master’s degree in 2007.
According to the newspaper she siphoned money from the university to pay off her gambling debts. Three other students also testified against the dean.
Jing Zhou another student told the court she was forced to wash, clean and dry Dr Chang’s underwear.