STORRS, Conn. (WTNH) — Dr. Sherry Zane, a UConn professor, was arrested after an investigation revealed that she allegedly used university funds for personal travel expenses. Zane, 56, was found to have funded multiple trips for herself and her family, both within the U.S. and abroad, using university money.
The investigation uncovered that Zane submitted misleading or false travel forms to disguise her personal trips as “research.” At the time of the investigation, Zane was the area director for the Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies program at UConn. She had been suspended from her role in November when the inquiry began.
The investigation revealed Zane had taken 19 trips from June 2021 to December 2023, costing the university over $58,000. Among the trips were three visits to Disney World, seven trips to Ireland to visit her daughter at Queen’s University in Belfast, and several trips to Chicago to see her mother. These trips were all misrepresented as academic research.
Zane’s attorney, Trent LaLima, issued a statement defending her: “Dr. Zane has dedicated years of her life to UConn,” LaLima said. “She denies any claim that she stole from the university, and intends to plead not guilty and fight these charges.”
Zane has been charged with larceny in the first degree and is being held on a $10,000 bond.
