Associated Press Published

Wheeling Jesuit to Pay $2.3 Million to End Grant Probe

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Wheeling Jesuit University has agreed to pay $2.3 million to the federal government to settle claims that it misused grant funding.

U.S. Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld II announced the settlement Monday. He said the agreement ends an investigation into allegations that the university misused funds from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the U.S. Department of Labor and the National Science Foundation from 2003 to 2010. A NASA audit led to the allegations.

Ihlenfeld said settlement does not preclude criminal charges.

The university said in a statement that it operated in good faith in dealing with “highly complex and divergent” regulations. Wheeling Jesuit said the settlement will be paid with operating funds and will not affect other federally funded programs at the university.