CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Two Harvard University seniors were free on personal recognizance Wednesday pending a hearing next month on charges they stole nearly $100,000 from the school's Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the oldest undergraduate group in the nation.
Randy J. Gomes and Suzanne M. Pomey, both 21, pleaded innocent in Middlesex Superior Court on Tuesday to charges they used Hasty Pudding's credit card machine to transfer funds into personal bank accounts.
Assistant District Attorney Edward R. Bedrosian Jr. wrote in a statement to the court that an analysis of the bank accounts "revealed that the pair appeared to be financing lavish lifestyles."
The pair allegedly used the money to buy drugs, pay off debts to drug dealers, finance shopping trips and furnish their dorm rooms with expensive electronic entertainment equipment.
The two allegedly stole thousands of dollars a week from March 2000 to June 2001.
According to Wednesday's Harvard Crimson, Pomey served during that period as producer for the organization and had the greatest control over finances. Gomes served as assistant director of the group's well-publicized Man and Woman of the Year ceremonies.
The thefts were uncovered when new producers took over last fall and discovered discrepancies in the Hasty Pudding's accounts. The investigation was then turned over to Harvard University police.
In statements to investigators, both students reportedly blamed Gomes' drug problem and debts for the thefts, but also said they went on shopping trips to Palm Springs, Calif.; Chicago; New York City; and Cape Cod, Mass., and bought a DVD player, a high-definition television, and other pricey equipment.
They also reportedly paid for Pomey's 21st birthday bash last year, complete with an open bar.
At their arraignment, they were released without bail pending a pretrial hearing March 28.
They pair remain enrolled in classes at Harvard, which could convene disciplinary hearings after the criminal case is resolved.
The Hasty Pudding Theatricals each year brings celebrities to Cambridge for its annual Man and Woman of the Year ceremonies. Last year Pomey clowned around with Anthony Hopkins on stage as the actor accepted his Pudding Pot.
The group honors Sarah Jessica Parker as Woman of the Year on Thursday, and Bruce Willis as Man of the Year on Valentine's Day.
