CONCORD — A former office manager pleaded guilty in federal court on Tuesday to embezzling $223,000 from a student-run newspaper at Dartmouth College, according to a news release from the U.S. District Attorney’s Office.

Nicole Chambers, 40, of Florida, who formerly resided in Springfield, Vt., worked as the paper’s office manager at The Dartmouth, also known as The D, between 2012 and 2021.

Between April 2017 and September 2021, Chambers stole money from the newspaper, primarily via its PayPal accounts, as well as through its Venmo account and debit card, according to the news release.

Chambers used the stolen funds for personal expenses, including more than $20,000 for travel and $2,000 for fees associated with a court case in Newport, R.I., involving her husband, according to the release.

“We are very glad to finally see justice being served in this case,” Kyle Mullins, who was the editor-in-chief of The Dartmouth in 2021, said in an emailed statement Tuesday. “This plea deal is, hopefully, the first step toward restitution, which will help The Dartmouth continue to do what it has done since 1799: independently cover and inform the Dartmouth College community and the broader Upper Valley.”

Chamber’s attorney, Jaye Rancourt, with the District of New Hampshire Federal Public Defender Office, declined comment when reached via email on Tuesday.

A court filing from March indicates that Chambers was in Florida temporarily “where she relocated to assist elderly family members,” although her intention was to return to Vermont in June.

The D is published by The Dartmouth Inc., a nonprofit whose funding comes from advertising sales, investment income and donations.

The paper is independent from the college, though it leases office space from the college.

The D first discovered the embezzlement in the wake of Chamber’s “unexpected” resignation in September 2021, according to a November 2021 report in the student newspaper.

The D reported at the time that it appeared that Chambers spent the missing money on “ticket purchases on multiple airlines, hotel stays in several states and in the Caribbean and purchases at retailers such as Amazon, Etsy, Petsmart, Urban Outfitters and Wayfair.”

The D reported its findings to Hanover Police, who subsequently worked with the Grafton County Attorney’s Office to assist the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the investigation.

In the 2021 story, the paper’s publisher said the embezzlement wouldn’t affect the paper’s operations and that its financial position “remains strong.” The paper was working with its insurer to reduce impacts of the embezzlement and also working to strengthen internal controls to prevent future such losses.

U.S. District Court Judge Landya B. McCafferty scheduled Chambers’ sentencing for Aug. 12.

Under the plea agreement, Chambers pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and agreed to a prison sentence of 15 months and restitution in the full amount taken from The D. If the agreement is not accepted by the court, she would have the opportunity to withdraw her plea.

Nora Doyle-Burr can be reached at ndoyleburr@vnews.com or 603-727-3213.