BU prof suspended without
pay after fraud charge

By Jennifer Fusco •jfusco@gannett.com •
September 3, 2010, 6:29 pm

VESTAL - The Binghamton University faculty member
charged this week with a felony has been suspended
without pay and his research and responsibilities
have been reassigned, a spokeswoman said Friday.

Seshu B. Desu, 55, of Vestal, was charged Thursday
with first-degree falsifying business records
following an investigation into the accounting of his
international travel.

The investigation - conducted by the New York State
University Police - is ongoing and additional
charges are pending, BU spokeswoman Gail Glover
said.

"In the interim, Desu has been suspended without
pay in accordance with union contract procedures,"
Glover said in a statement.

Desu earned $271,633 in 2009.

A woman who answered the door Friday at the
residence listed on court documents as Desu’s, said
he wasn’t available. An attempt to e-mail him Friday
for comment was also unsuccessful.

Court documents show discrepancies between Desu’
s reimbursement for a 2008 trip to India and the
actual cost.