John Marchello
One of the University of Arizona’s longest-serving former faculty members will be sentenced for stealing from the school later this year, but that may not end the legal problems he and his wife face as a result.
Animal sciences professor John A. Marchello, who faced 10 felony counts of skimming proceeds from a student-run meat store he oversaw, recently agreed to plead guilty to one count of theft and to pay the UA about $83,000 in restitution, less than half of the money that went missing.
His sentencing hearing is set for Nov. 21. He faces anywhere from probation to one to 3¾ years in prison. The remaining charges were dropped as part of the Aug. 11 plea deal.
“In a complex scheme, Marchello misdirected almost $223,000 from U of A meat sales and meat processing, a portion of which he kept for his own benefit,” said a statement from the Pima County Attorney’s Office, which prosecuted the case.
UA students sell butchered livestock at the school’s agriculture center on North Campbell Avenue as part of their education in animal husbandry.
Marchello, 80, who worked for the UA for half a century, retired from his $106,000-a-year position about a month after his indictment last year.
Authorities said he diverted proceeds by using a false invoice scheme that funneled meat store payments into non-UA checking accounts he controlled.
While Marchello agree to pay $83,000 in restitution as part of the criminal case, the state is pursuing him for much more in a related civil lawsuit that also names his wife, who still works at the UA, as a co-defendant.
Authorities want toseize the couple’s northwest-side home, personal bank accounts, vehicles, and other assets totaling nearly $223,000 — money that would go toward repaying the university and helping to cover the cost of prosecution.
The Marchellos are fighting the effort and the lawsuit is on hold until after John Marchello’s criminal case concludes.
Elaine V. Marchello, 53, was not criminally charged in the case, however the state’s civil suit alleges she would have benefited financially from her spouse’s wrongdoing.
From 2009 to 2015, Elaine Marchello was the UA’s assistant dean for agriculture academic programs at a salary of $106,000 a year.
Six months after her spouse was indicted, she took a lower-paid position in a different area of the university and now makes $88,000 a year as an assessment coordinator.
