New affidavit details FAMU AD Angela Suggs' casino spending at previous job
Angela Suggs charged her Florida Sports Foundation -issued credit card 23 times over a two-year period at casinos, and then claimed she used her work card in error to make the purchases, according to a probable cause affidavit released June 11 by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Suggs – hired by Florida A&M as its Vice President and Director of Athletics in October 2024 – turned herself in at the Leon County jail June 9 on fraud and theft charges dating back to her prior job with the foundation. Suggs was the Tallahassee-based non-profit organization's president and CEO starting in 2017.
Suggs, a Tallahassee native, faces charges of falsifying travel vouchers and racking up $24,000 in personal expenses on a work credit card when she visited various casinos during business trips as the foundation's head, according to law enforcement.
Specifically, she "knowingly engaged in a systematic, ongoing course of conduct with the intent to defraud the Florida Sports Foundation" and "submitted or caused to be submitted false travel documents indicating that funds used were for FSF business, when in fact the funds were used for personal gain or pleasure," the affidavit says.
FAMU announced June 10 that Suggs was placed on administrative leave with pay till further notice. The Rattlers' athletics business operations continue under the school's deputy directors of athletics, Travis Glasgow and Brittney Johnson.
In a public statement posted on her Facebook page the evening of June 10 , Suggs commented on the case against her, making clear "the charges recently brought against me (are) in connection with my previous place of employment" and "entirely unrelated to Florida A&M University or my current role."
She said she is "fully committed to addressing these allegations through the appropriate legal channels. I regret the distraction caused and I am deeply grateful for the unwavering support, fervent prayers, and continued encouragement I've received during this most difficult time. I remain focused, resilient, and committed to our shared goals and determined to fulfill our ongoing, planned, and collective success."
FDLE report details allegations, including gambling expenses, against Angela Suggs
Suggs charged a total of $23,206.56 from August 2022 to August 2024 at three casinos to her FSF-issued credit card, according to FDLE.
During a visit to Resorts World Las Vegas, one witness saw "Suggs gambling while at the casino," but the report does not provide details, such as whether it was sports betting, table games or slots, for example.
Most of those expenses were February 2024 to August 2024, with 11 different charges – including nine in one day –over a two-day period in June 2024 that totaled $13,817.60 at a "Seminole Hard Rock Casino." The report did not make clear whether it was the one in Tampa or Hollywood.
In August 2024, Suggs charged $5,877.30 to her FSF credit card over three days at Potawatomi Bingo in Wisconsin.
Suggs three different times reported to the foundation that the casino expenses were an error, saying "she used the wrong credit card," according to the affidavit.
Suggs also said two charges to her FSF credit card in August 2022 at Resorts World Las Vegas totaling $649.98 were for business meals. Both receipts, however, showed they were for cash withdrawals from the teller counter, the affidavit said.
Moreover, three people Suggs said she paid business meals for told FDLE they didn't know Suggs or that they weren't at a meal with Suggs.
The affidavit also said Suggs sometimes had foundation personnel complete her travel documents for reimbursement using an "electronic signature, certifying that the purchases were authorized or for FSF business."
Another Nov. 29, 2023 charge of $250, for which Suggs "submitted a certification for the expense instead of a receipt ... was found to be near Nashville, Tennessee and is a hair and makeup business."
Suggs started to repay FSF in March 2024 for her expenses, including two payroll reductions of unspecified amounts, and a cashier's check for $15,167, on July 3, 2024, according to the affidavit.
She also provided FSF with six Western Union money orders totaling $5,877.30 on Sept. 16, 2024. That was 21 days prior to her official start at FAMU. Remaining funds used by Suggs and never paid back to the foundation, according to the affidavit, total $1,314.62.
Court dockets reviewed June 11 show no hearings have yet been scheduled in the case. Suggs was released from jail on a $13,500 bond. An FDLE report shows she has no other history of arrests in Florida.
Previous coverage: FAMU athletics director Angela Suggs charged with theft from previous job, FDLE says
More: What's the next step for FAMU athletics following Angela Suggs' arrest on fraud, theft charges?
If you can't view the affidavit posted above, click here .
This story contains previously published material. Jeff Burlew contributed reporting.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Angela Suggs submitted false travel claims, used FSF funds: Affidavit
