August 8, 2007

Ex-Cal State Fullerton admissions clerk arrested in bribery case

The Associated Press

FULLERTON

A former admissions clerk at California State University, Fullerton was arrested for investigation of taking a bribe to speed up the applications of two foreign students.

Cathleen Louise Smith, 54, of Placentia was arrested by campus police on July 16, university spokeswoman Paula Selleck said Tuesday.

Smith, who no longer is with the school, was arrested for investigation of accepting a bribe and methamphetamine possession and released on $20,000 bond.

Smith told the Los Angeles Times that she accepted $2,000 to speed up the admission applications of two Kuwaiti brothers but said both were academically eligible and she considered the money to be a gift.

Smith said she had worked at the university since 1981.

"I'm sorry that it happened because I had a very good record there," she said. "I was a very good employee at Cal State Fullerton, I worked there for a very long time for very little money."