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A 51-year-old former employee of the University of Alabama in Huntsville is facing a Class A felony charge after investigators say he allegedly stole roughly $609,598 from the UAH Foundation using counterfeit invoices.
Michael Paul Julius Benfield, 51, of Madison, Alabama, was arrested in September 2026 and charged with aggravated theft by deception, a Class A felony because the alleged amount exceeds $200,000. Court records say the alleged scheme ran from October 2023 through August 2026, with Benfield allegedly creating fake invoices that reimbursed him directly to his personal account.
A UAH police investigator swore out the arrest warrant on Sept. 9, and a university internal auditor is a key witness for the state. Benfield was booked into the Madison County Jail and later released on a $5,000 appearance bond. The university says he is no longer employed, that it notified law enforcement as soon as the alleged misconduct was discovered, and that the investigation is ongoing. His former role was Deputy Director for the Center for Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis, and his university staff webpage has since been removed.
How fake-invoice schemes work
Cases like this are a textbook example of invoice fraud, sometimes described as vendor fraud or internal embezzlement. The method is simple: a trusted insider creates bogus invoices that look routine, pushes them through the organization's payment system, and pockets the reimbursements. Because the payments appear to be ordinary expenses, they can go unnoticed by busy finance offices for months or even years.
Red flags and how organizations can fight back
This case is a fraud alert for any organization that pays vendors or processes reimbursements. A university scam of this kind can quietly drain hundreds of thousands of dollars before anyone spots it. Experts recommend a few basic defenses:
- Independently verify any new vendor or changed bank details before money goes out.
- Require dual approval on payments and reimbursements above a set dollar threshold.
- Separate duties so the person who submits or creates an invoice cannot also approve it.
- Run regular independent audits, and review recurring reimbursements to the same recipient.
Remember: Benfield is accused and charged, not convicted — everyone is innocent until proven guilty. We will keep following this crime news story as the case moves through the courts.
