Former USC director sentenced for committing grant fraud

A former director at the University of South Carolina was sentenced in federal court in Columbia Tuesday after she plead guilty in June to committing grant fraud.

U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles said 62-year-old Gail Shurling was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis to 27 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Lewis also ordered Shurling to pay over $335,000 in restitution for her crimes.

Nettles said Shurling was operating as the director of the Center for Manufacturing and Technology at the university when she submitted fraudulent documentation to obtain federal grant money. Shurling approved contracts and payments to shell corporations that were controlled by friends, family members and herself for work that was never completed.

In total, Shurling submitted $336,000 worth of fraudulent documentation to the university, the government and to the entity responsible for administrating grant funds, Nettles said.

The case was investigated by the agents of the Department of Commerce Office of the Inspector General and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim May prosecuted the case.

Related story: Ex-USC center director pleads guilty after $336,000 goes missing

This story was originally published December 2, 2015 at 11:14 AM.