TAMPA, FL – Christina Lynn Morris, a 46-year-old resident of Plant City, has pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud, as announced by United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg. Morris now faces up to 20 years in federal prison and has agreed to forfeit $293,202, which represents proceeds traceable to her crime.
According to court documents, Morris held dual positions as a Fiscal and Business Analyst at a public research university with multiple campuses in the Middle District of Florida and as President of a charitable organization in the same region. Between July 2021 and July 2023, she exploited her roles to embezzle over $290,000. She used her university-issued credit card, as well as those assigned to other employees, and misappropriated funds from the charity’s business accounts to conduct unauthorized transactions, including repeated bulk purchases of gift cards.
Morris further manipulated the charity’s tax-exempt status to avoid sales tax on these transactions. To cover up her activities, she fabricated documents, made false attestations, and withheld key information from both the university and the charity. Her actions resulted in financial losses amounting to $261,632.17 for the university and $31,569.87 for the charitable organization.
Morris’s sentencing date has yet to be set, but she faces severe penalties for her actions.