Disgraced former St. John’s University dean Cecilia Chang was found dead at her Jamaica Estates home last Tuesday morning of an apparent suicide, police said.
The ex-administrator, accused of stealing $1 million from the school in 2010 and using students for her own personal disposal, was facing trial for embezzlement and had taken the stand in Brooklyn federal court the day before her death, according to reports.
Chang, 59, was discovered dead at her Tryon Place home, located less than half a mile from the university, at around 7:30 a.m. on November 6, police said.
She was the dean of the school’s Institute of Asian Studies and vice president for international relations.
“St. John’s University was saddened to learn […] of the death of Cecilia Chang,” school officials said in a prepared statement. “We ask the entire St. John’s community to pray for her and her family.”
Authorities could not confirm the suicide but said no criminality is suspected.
— Additional reporting by Cristabelle Tumola
