Indictment unsealed Oct. 26: former Norman children's home director accused of embezzling more than $219,000
Norman, Cleveland County, Oklahoma — The indictment of Andree Dennis Harper, former executive director of the Mary Abbott Children's House in Norman, was unsealed on Oct. 26 in Cleveland County district court. A state multicounty grand jury indicted Harper on Oct. 8 on seven counts of embezzlement; the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation says that since 2022 she embezzled more than $219,000, used for personal airfare, baggage fees, vacation-rental lodging, cosmetic surgery costs, online shopping and fast food. Harper's attorney said the funds were repaid in full after an agreement with the Children's House last December and that the Children's House has been made whole. Board chair Julia Metri confirmed the embezzled funds have been recovered and that measures have been taken to prevent a recurrence. Harper now lives in Virginia; after the unsealing she drove back to Oklahoma and surrendered at the Cleveland County detention center, and has been released on bail. The Mary Abbott Children's House says it is a safe place where children can tell of experiences of sexual abuse, physical abuse and neglect; in 2025, more than 1,000 children began receiving help after visiting.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 俄克拉何马州诺曼市，CC BY-SA 4.0，来源 Wikimedia Commons
