USA Swimming has placed its chief financial officer, Cory Hilliard, on leave after learning of his arrest on charges of theft and embezzlement from his previous job at the University of Colorado athletic department. The organization announced the decision on Monday, according to infohub.kz.
The district attorney's office in Boulder said Hilliard is accused of misappropriating funds from the school's Nike Elite program for personal use. The DA's office stated that the university lost $9,510 due to Hilliard's actions.
Hilliard, 54, was hired last December as CFO of USA Swimming, which oversees the sport from the grassroots to the Olympic level in the U.S. The organization said it learned of his arrest on Monday and "immediately placed Cory on leave and terminated all access to any company data and financial controls." It also said it is conducting its own investigation.
As the administrator for Colorado's Nike Elite program, Hilliard was "responsible for managing employee product benefit allocations," according to the DA's office.
Hilliard did not immediately respond to a message from The Associated Press sent to his USA Swimming email. He was one of the first major hires made by CEO Kevin Ring after Ring took over last September. "Cory brings extraordinary financial discipline, operational expertise, and a strong track record of transparent leadership," Ring said at the time.
Ring's own hiring came six months after Delaware athletic director Chrissi Rawak quit less than 10 days after getting the CEO role when USA Swimming learned she was the subject of a complaint at the U.S. Center for SafeSport.