St. Kate's Dean Funneled University Cash To Lover's Sham Biz: Police

ST. PAUL, MN — The former dean of nursing at St. Catherine University in St. Paul is accused of using her position to illegally funnel $400,000 from the school to her lover's fake business.

Laura Jean Fero was charged with six counts of theft by swindle and faces up to 20 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.

Fero moved to Florida after she left her job at St. Catherine’s University last August, court documents show. Last week, police arrested her at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport after flying in from Orlando.

According to court documents, on Nov. 30, St. Catherine’s University reported a suspected embezzlement to police.

Fero — who started at St. Catherine's in June 2019 — misappropriated approximately $400,000 from the university, according to the report.

The university's internal investigation centered on the university contracts Fero entered into with Juan Ramon Bruce, 56, and his company, "JB & Associates LLC."

The contracts purportedly paid Bruce's company for various marketing research work. He made up to $65 per hour for the work, according to the criminal complaint.

During its investigation, St. Paul Police said it obtained emails between Fero and Bruce related to their romantic relationship.

The emails included the following conversations, according to the criminal complaint:

• In October 2020, Fero sent an email stating: "you are the first man who I have deeply loved and valued"
• In July 2022, Fero discussed past travel and memories with Bruce and said she loves him deeply, she can’t imagine life without him, and she wants to continue to love Bruce more every day and build a future together.
• In April 2023, Fero sent an email that discussed her relationship with Bruce and the troubles they had been experiencing.

After she was arrested, Fero claimed she met Bruce over a "cold call" but later admitted she had met Bruce on the dating website, "Elitesingles.com," according to the criminal complaint.

Fero said she was initially untruthful earlier in the interview because she was "embarrassed" at how she met Bruce, police said. Fero also admitted to "editing" documents that Bruce submitted to St. Catherine’s, the criminal complaint states.

Fero also said she did not disclose this relationship to the university because she thought its conflict-of-interest policy only referred to "married" people, according to police.