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On Aug. 18, a federal grand jury indicted Jonathan C. Clark, an
SIUE lecturer and lab manager, on one count of mail fraud and
three counts of wire fraud.
Prosecutors allege Clark defrauded the university of more than
$100,000 between Nov. 11, 2022, and March 16, 2025, by using his
university credit card for various personal expenses and then
falsifying credit card invoices and affidavits he submitted to
SIUE to make it look like the purchases were for legitimate
purposes like the laboratory he managed and other expenses
needed for teaching.
Clark was scheduled to appear for the first time in federal
court in East St. Louis on Wednesday, but he did not show up,
and a court-appointed lawyer said he had yet to hear from him.
The judge said a new date would be set for an initial appearance
and arraignment.
An SIUE spokesperson said Clark resigned his position in April
2025, after the university notified him that it intended to
discharge him.
Clark allegedly carried out the years-long fraud by having the
personal items he purchased with his SIUE-issued credit card
shipped to his office and home through the U.S. Postal Service
and other interstate commercial shipping services like FedEx,
court records show.
The indictment mentioned one particular delivery: A package of
kitchen knives Clark ordered from artisan knife maker Coolina.
The package arrived via FedEx to Clark’s SIUE office from
Coolina’s Fort Lauderdale, Florida, facility. The indictment
doesn’t detail the cost of the knives but the company’s website
advertises a selection of “big, badass knives built for everyday
prep, heavy chopping, and precision slicing” that cost between
roughly $100 and $300 apiece.
Court records also detail three allegedly fraudulent PayPal
transfers Clark made using his SIUE credit card:$370.74 and
$1,652.87 sent to recipients identified only by their initials
in the Metro East communities of Godfrey and St. Jacob, as well
as $612.85, paid to the Glen-Ed Sports Association in
Edwardsville.
Cormac Biesk can be reached via email at mackbiesk@gmail.com.
The Saluki Local Reporting Lab is a collaboration with Capitol
News Illinois.
Capitol News Illinois is
a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state
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funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert
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