EAST ST. LOUIS — A former Southern Illinois University Edwardsville adjunct instructor and lab manager is facing federal charges after prosecutors said he used a university-issued credit card to pay for more than $100,000 in personal expenses over more than two years.
A federal grand jury on Aug. 18, 2026, indicted Jonathan C. Clark, an SIUE lecturer and lab manager, on one count of mail fraud and three counts of wire fraud. Prosecutors allege Clark defrauded the university between Nov. 11, 2022, and March 16, 2025, by using his university credit card for personal purchases and then falsifying credit card invoices and affidavits submitted to SIUE.
Clark was scheduled to make his first appearance in federal court in East St. Louis on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, but he did not appear. A court-appointed attorney told the court he had not yet heard from Clark. The judge said a new date would be set for Clark’s initial appearance and arraignment.
An SIUE spokesperson said Clark resigned in April 2025 after the university notified him that it intended to discharge him. The alleged purchases included rent, athletic fees, marijuana, and high-end kitchen knives, according to court records. Prosecutors said Clark made the purchases appear to be for legitimate university purposes, including expenses related to the laboratory he managed and his teaching duties.
Court records allege Clark carried out the scheme by having items purchased with his SIUE-issued credit card shipped to his office and home through the U.S. Postal Service and other interstate commercial shipping services, including FedEx.
