Baruch College Coach Guilty of Embezzling $700K

A former Baruch College coach is pleading guilty to charges he embezzled in excess of $700,000 from the school’s athletics department.

According to a report from the New York Post, Machli Joseph, former Baruch women’s basketball coach and assistant athletics director, was pocketing payments from rentals of the college’s gym when it wasn’t being used.

Joseph, 43, was employed by the university from 2002 to 2016. Prosecutors said he used the money to pay for personal expenses, including renovations to his home. He faces up to 10 years in prison when sentenced at an April 17 hearing.

Joseph’s lawyer, Donald Yannella, said Joseph accepted responsibility by pleading guilty to the charges. “But there are mitigating factors that will be brought to the attention of the court when he is sentenced,” he said.