(Atlanta) Attorney General Thurbert Baker announced today that former Georgia Institute of Technology employee Jennifer Tatham Root pled guilty in Fulton County State Court to one count of theft by taking for her use of a Georgia Tech purchasing card to pay for personal FedEx shipping charges during calendar year 2007. Judge Patsy Porter, who took the guilty plea, sentenced Root to 12 months probation, a $200 fine and 20 hours of community service. Root had previously made restitution to Georgia Tech for the amount of the purchases.

In announcing the plea, Attorney General Baker remarked that "a violation of the public trust is a big deal, regardless of how small the amounts at issue in these purchasing card cases may be."

Assistant Attorney General Laura Pfister prosecuted the case on behalf of the state, and investigation in the case was handled by Agent Jonathan Spurlock of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.