Hanover police arrested Lean Granger, the wife of Dartmouth professor Richard Granger, last month after an investigation in California, the couple's prior place of residence, found that she had allegedly embezzled over $300,000 from a Southern California church, according to the Newport Beach Police Department. Lean Granger waived extradition and was returned to California last week where she remains in jail. Calls to the church were not returned by press time.
Lean Granger is accused of writing checks to herself from the Newport Harbor Lutheran church, where she served as the treasurer and bookkeeper from October 2002 through November 2006, Sgt. Evan Sailor of the Newport Harbor Police said.
"We're gravely disappointed," James Miller told the Associated Press on behalf of the church. "We trusted somebody and we don't really have the resources to have lost."
Lean Granger also allegedly wrote checks to cover credit card bills for a company, Caspian Scientific, LLC., registered in her husband's name. Caspian, currently registered in New Hampshire, provides "consulting services in the area of interdisciplinary neuroscience," according to documents filed with the state. The company is "not in good standing," the New Hampshire company registry states.
The investigation began in November 2006 when the Newport church contacted police, Sailor said. Newport Beach Police issued search warrants pertaining to the Grangers' various business and personal accounts. Following this investigation, Newport Beach Police contacted Hanover Police, who arrested Lean Granger at her Hanover residence on March 27. Two detectives from the Newport Beach Police escorted Lean Granger back to California last Friday, Sailor said.
Lean Granger's pre-trial hearing is scheduled for April 14. Following an arraignment on Monday, bail was set at $500,000, but Lean Granger cannot post bail until she proves the funds were not obtained illicitly.
Before coming to Dartmouth, Richard Granger was a professor at the University of California, Irvine and director of UC Irvine's Brain Engineering Laboratory. Appointed to the Dartmouth faculty in 2006, he is currently a professor of computer science and director of the Neukom Institute for Computational Science at the College.
The Orange County District Attorney's Office prosecutor in the case, Yvette Patko, refused to comment on whether Richard Granger is under investigation, citing office policy. Patko also would not confirm whether the investigation is ongoing.
An e-mail to Richard Granger's Dartmouth account and a call to Lean Granger's California attorney, Paul Meyer, were not returned by press time. The Grangers' Hanover residence is unlisted.
Laurel Stavis, a spokesperson for Dartmouth, said in a statement, "The College is distressed to hear about this and our thoughts are with the family."
She declined to comment further.
