A grand jury has indicted a former University of Maryland employee in the theft of more than $1 million from the school over a four-year period.

       Lisa Schuetz, 51, of Severn, Md., was working at U-Md. when, between 2016 and 2020, she “abused her official position and purchasing authority” to defraud the university, the Prince George’s County state’s attorney’s office said in a statement.

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       Schuetz is charged with one count of theft of over $100,000 and another, lesser count of theft between $1,500 and $250,000, authorities said. In total, she is accused of stealing $1,134,887.66.

       The state’s attorney’s office declined to discuss details of the case during a news conference Wednesday, including what Schuetz is accused of stealing and how the authorities learned of the stolen money. State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy (D) said the investigation was conducted by university police.

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       “I wanted to send a very strong message today that economic crimes are serious,” Braveboy said.

       A spokesperson for the university said Schuetz had been an employee of the school from 2001 to May 2020 but declined to answer questions about the circumstances of her departure.

       At the time of her indictment, Schuetz was working as a grants and contracts analyst for the Berman Institute of Bioethics at Johns Hopkins, a spokesperson confirmed. A staff biography on the university website said she started with the institute in 2020.

       Schuetz faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $25,000 if she is convicted, prosecutors said. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and it was not clear whether she had obtained an attorney.