[hoosier]

State division director resigns over 1996 sorority theft
By JOSH FLORY of the Tribune’s staff
Published Thursday, July 7, 2005

JEFFERSON CITY - The director of the state’s Division of Business Development and Trade offered her resignation yesterday after acknowledging that she pled guilty to a theft charge in 1996 for stealing money from her college sorority.


"This was a youthful indiscretion, and I have paid for this mistake nearly 10 years ago."
- Randa Hayes, in resignation letter to DED Director Greg Steinhof

Randa Hayes, 33, of St. Peters had been working as director of the business development division, which is part of the Department of Economic Development, or DED. Her salary was $81,000.

Hayes came under scrutiny this week when the state Democratic Party, acting on an anonymous tip, revealed that in 1996 she was charged with theft and forgery in Cook County, Ill. Known at the time by her maiden name, Randa Ismail, she pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and was ordered to pay $36,649 in restitution.

DED Director Greg Steinhoff announced the resignation yesterday, saying in a prepared statement that Hayes "failed to disclose that she had been arrested for theft."

In a resignation letter to Steinhoff, Hayes said that at the time she was treasurer of a college sorority and used sorority funds to cover personal expenses. Hayes said she paid the money back and was placed on probation for a year. "Since then I’ve worked very hard, no matter what my position, to do the right thing," she said. "This was a youthful indiscretion, and I have paid for this mistake nearly 10 years ago."