Florida A&M AD Angela Suggs Surrenders on Theft Charges, Allegations Include Casino Trips
Posted on: June 10, 2025, 09:16h.
Last updated on: June 10, 2025, 10:46h.
- Florida A&M’s athletics director is facing felony theft charges
- Law enforcement alleges that Angela Suggs stole from a nonprofit
- Some of the alleged spending took place at casinos
Angela Adams Suggs, 55, who was hired as Florida A&M University’s athletics director last September, has surrendered to police after being charged with felony counts of grand theft and scheme to defraud, and four misdemeanor counts of false claims on travel vouchers.
On Monday, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) issued a release detailing the investigation into Suggs.
The state law enforcement agency revealed that a probe into Suggs’ spending began in November after the FDLE received a criminal referral from the state Commerce Department’s inspector general, following an audit that raised suspicions.
The investigation deals with Suggs’ use of a credit card issued to the Florida Sports Foundation, a nonprofit at which she served as president and CEO before taking the Florida A&M gig. The Office of the State Attorney for the Second Judicial Circuit, which is prosecuting the case, alleges that Suggs racked up more than $24K in charges unrelated to the nonprofit’s mission of promoting and developing professional, amateur, and recreational sports across the Sunshine State.
Casino ‘Business Trips’
In the FDLE release, law enforcement alleges that Suggs used the Florida Sports Foundation credit card for an array of personal transactions. The complaint details that Suggs allegedly made numerous wire transfers and cash withdrawals at casinos during supposed business trips.
She then falsified travel vouchers, coding the unauthorized charges as meals,” the FDLE release explained. “When asked about the unauthorized charges, Suggs claimed some were for business meals and others were accidentally charged to the business card.”
Officials with the FSF say the nonprofit hasn’t been made whole by Suggs. Suggs surrendered to police on Monday and was booked into the Leon County Jail on a $13,500 bond.
“While the matter is unrelated to her duties as an employee at FAMU, we are monitoring the situation and will respond in the future as appropriate,” said FAMU Interim President Timothy Beard.
Suggs began her position as athletics director and vice president on Oct. 7, 2024. Her FAMU bio states that she “oversaw Florida’s $74 billion sports tourism industry” and “led efforts in securing, hosting, and retaining sporting events and sports-related business” while serving as the executive director of the Florida Sports Foundation.
Suggs is an FAMU alum, holding a Bachelor’s degree in Business Economics. She also has a Master’s degree in Marriage & Family Therapy from St. Thomas University in Miami.
Hefty Contract
Last fall, the FAMU Board of Trustees approved a three-year compensation schedule for Suggs totaling $750K or $250K per year. Suggs also qualifies for performance-based incentives and bonuses for reaching certain thresholds, such as securing game guarantees, increasing ticket sales, and the school’s overall athletic performance.
Mrs. Suggs has established a stellar reputation within the sports industry,” Beard said at the time. “Her profound industry knowledge and dedication to excellence can elevate FAMU athletics to a prominent position in collegiate sports — driving our athletic program to new levels of success on and off the field.”
Florida A&M is a public historically black land-grant university that’s a member of the State University System of Florida. Among its notable alumni are sportscaster Pam Oliver, rapper Common, and former Microsoft Chair John Thompson.
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