David Sword was the lesser member of the criminal duo of Lee and Sword. Together they stole over $120,000 from a pediatric cancer charity before graduating from Harvard in 1993.
The story of their perfidy is told in great detail in Chas Lee's node, and I will add only a few details here.
Sword is from Toronto and, like Lee, he lived in Eliot House. He was a member of an elite "Finals Club" called The Fox Club. Like fellow undergrad embezzler Susanne Pomey, he was active in both the Phillips Brooks House and the Hasty Pudding Theatricals, for which he served as business manager. He also helped produce CityStep, a dance program for underprivileged children.
Some details of Sword's and Lee's thefts from The Evening with Champions (EWC) have never been made public. Sword was treasurer, and almost certainly knew that Lee was running amok with the EWC's money. However, Lee stole over $100,000 while Sword held himself to a bit under $7000. Why the discrepancy? And did they have an explicit deal to cover for each other? As the police circled in, Lee blamed the disappearance of the funds on Sword's poor bookkeepting, and alleged that he had kept boxes of receipts in an old milk crate (since lost). Sword, for his part, kept his mouth shut and avoided jail time.
In his initial plea in August 1994, Sword claimed to be innocent. However, the evidence mounted against him and on February 23, 1995 he pleaded guilty to one count of larceny over $250. The judge sentenced him to one year probation, 250 hours of community service and repayment of the $6,838 he stole.
Sword had received his diploma before the word of his theft reached the university. Like Lee, he remains a graduate in good standing.
For other Harvard scandals, check out
and others as I get to them.
Sources:
The Harvard Current February 11, 2002
Harvard Magazine May-June 2002
The Boston Herald February 24, 1995 | 
