Criminal Investigation Launched Into UL Athletics Spending After State Audit Findings

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette's athletics department is now the subject of a criminal investigation after a state audit uncovered alleged financial irregularities involving recruiting expenses and questioned how the university handled the reporting of those findings.

According to reporting by The Current, the 15th Judicial District Attorney's Office confirmed it has opened an investigation into the matter following findings by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor detailing allegedly falsified expense documentation tied to university purchasing cards.

District attorney confirms active investigation

First Assistant District Attorney Fritz Welter confirmed the case has been assigned to him but declined to discuss specifics because the investigation remains active.

The criminal probe stems from a Louisiana Legislative Auditor report issued in June that questioned recruiting-related spending within UL Lafayette's football program and whether university purchasing cards were improperly used to cover expenses that violated state policy.

Audit details alleged falsified recruiting expenses

According to the audit, routine internal controls by UL's purchasing department flagged questionable expense reports submitted by a football recruiting employee dating back to late 2024.

An internal university investigation later concluded that multiple expense reports contained allegedly misrepresented charges between November 2024 and June 2025.

Investigators found the employee allegedly instructed vendors to list prohibited alcohol and food purchases as "room rentals" or "event deposits" on receipts submitted for reimbursement. Those altered descriptions were then used to justify charges made on university LaCarte purchasing cards.

The Louisiana Legislative Auditor said misrepresenting purchasing card expenses could constitute theft under Louisiana law.

The recruiter resigned from the university in January.

Supervisor also named in audit

The audit also identified approximately 10 additional transactions totaling more than $7,000 that were submitted by the recruiter's supervisor between 2021 and 2024.

Auditors alleged those expenses also raised concerns regarding compliance with state purchasing card policies.

Although the supervisor was not identified by name in the audit, longtime UL athletics administrator Troy Wingerter recently acknowledged publicly that he was forced into retirement following the audit's findings.

Wingerter has maintained that the recruiting events themselves were legitimate and that no one personally benefited financially from the spending.

Instead, he argues the issue centered on how expenses were billed.

According to Wingerter, the recruiting events involved gatherings for parents of prospective student-athletes after official visits. He said those expenses should have been processed through the UL Foundation rather than being charged to university purchasing cards.

He has accepted responsibility for oversight issues but disputes portions of the audit's conclusions.

University says funds were recovered

University President Ramesh Kolluru notified District Attorney Don Landry in April that UL had identified what he described as "misuse of public funds" within the athletics department.

According to university records, UL told prosecutors all improperly spent funds had been recovered and that the matter had been addressed internally.

However, the Louisiana Legislative Auditor later criticized the university for failing to immediately notify both the auditor's office and the district attorney as required under state law.

Auditors also found two additional incidents unrelated to athletics involving unauthorized financial activity. Combined, those cases accounted for roughly $77,000 in questioned or unauthorized transactions.

The university ultimately recovered or was reimbursed for losses connected to those incidents.

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Audit prompted policy changes

While auditors credited UL's internal controls for identifying the questionable activity, they also found weaknesses in the university's reporting procedures.

The Legislative Auditor concluded UL lacked a written policy outlining how suspected misappropriation of public funds should be reported internally and to state authorities.

In response, UL adopted a formal reporting policy on June 30 requiring suspected misuse of public funds to be immediately reported to university police and general counsel. The university also committed to strengthening purchasing card training and oversight.

Investigation remains ongoing

At this time, no criminal charges have been announced in connection with the athletics investigation.

The Lafayette District Attorney's Office says the investigation remains active, and prosecutors have declined further comment while it continues.