A property manager is facing jail after admitted embezzling almost £37,000 from a student accommodation company.
Joanne Black organised payments from students looking for rented flats in Edinburgh when she was employed by Ziggurat Student Living.
But instead of processing payments, the 30-year-old put tens of thousands of pounds into her own bank account over a 12-month period.
She set up monthly direct debits from the students and took £6,125 from one foreign visitor in deposits and rent payments.
Black, of Leith, admitted embezzling £36,976.90 from Ziggurat between June 30, 2015 and June 30, 2016 when she appeared at Edinburgh’s sheriff court.
In one case, the court heard how she scammed an Edinburgh University student out of £4,600 after he handed over cash because she told him he could have a discount if his rent was paid up front.
Rachel Aedy, the fiscal depute, told the court that Black was hired by the student accommodation company as a property manager in 2014 and was “a trusted member of staff and held a great deal of responsibility”.
During the investigation Black was signed off sick and eventually sacked in August 2016. When she was contacted by the company’s solicitors to set up a repayment plan she offered to pay back £200 per month. Ms Aedy added: “Given the size of the funds taken by the accused this offer was refused. In January 2017 the police were contacted.”
In mitigation, Iain Tweedie said that Black had saved £5,000 to pay back to Ziggurat and was running a cleaning company in the capital. Sheriff Frank Crowe deferred sentencing for reports to be prepared.
