Florida A&M donations investigation: Gregory Gerami questioned

Gregory Gerami, the man whose questionable $237 million donation to Florida A&M shattered the university’s reputation, says he is working with an independent firm to investigate the gift.

In an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat, the Texas hemp farmer said he was “sad and dismayed” to learn that Larry Robinson was stepping down as FAMU president, but he does not believe the donation was a major factor in his plans.

He also confirmed that he had been interviewed as part of an independent investigation commissioned by FAMU into the legality of the donation and the reasons for the premature announcement of the completion of what was said to be the largest donation in HBCU history.

“I wish things were different, but I can’t change what they are,” Gerami said. “All I can do is be as legally transparent as possible and provide the legal documentation that I am legally allowed to provide and make myself available for any questions that the FAMU Foundation, the Board of Trustees or even the Board of Directors may have.”

FAMU, the nation’s premier black public university, is still in shock after its May 4 graduation ceremony, where Gerami, CEO of Batterson Farms in Texas, and Robinson took the stage to announce the gift.

At the time, Gerami declared to great applause: “The money is in the bank.”

But that was not the case.

Instead, he transferred 14 million shares of undetermined value that, according to a FAMU Foundation board member, could be worth $300 million or nothing at all.

Within days, the joy at FAMU was over and talks with Gerami were suspended. Disturbing details about Gerami emerged, including an arrest for domestic violence, disagreements about his company and employees, and several failed attempts to make large donations to other universities.

To make matters worse, university officials said they were bound by a nondisclosure agreement between him and FAMU that kept key officials in the dark about details of the donations that were later disclosed to the Democrat.

The fallout from this development led to the resignation of Robinson’s right-hand woman, Shawnta Friday-Stroud, who gave up her role as vice president for university advancement and executive director of the FAMU Foundation. She continues to serve as dean of the university’s School of Business & Industry.

Gerami reveals some details about his questioning as part of the investigation

Friday-Stroud’s resignation came shortly before a special meeting of FAMU’s Board of Trustees on May 15, where it voted to hire an outside firm to review the details that led to FAMU accepting a dubious gift from the Isaac Batterson Family 7th Trust, where Gerami serves as a family representative.

Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, a law firm based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, will prepare a detailed timeline of events and review compliance with policies, procedures and financial controls.

Gerami said he received an interview request last month and responded about a week or two ago.

It was not an in-person interview. Asked if it was a phone or video call, Gerami was cautious in his response: “Electronically, that’s all I want to say.” He said the interview was conducted by Michael McLaughlin, a lawyer at the firm who is leading the investigation.

Gerami said the interview “took a while,” adding that he answered many questions but declined to elaborate on the questions.

“I can’t really say that because it’s an ongoing investigation,” he said, although he was not legally barred from discussing the specifics. “I just think because it’s an ongoing investigation … I shouldn’t talk about the context. But I can say that it was obviously about the gift and various components of the gift, including the appraisal.”

“I would say it went very deep. The problem is, and this has been the problem since day one, that there are certain things I cannot disclose because that would be a breach of contractual and confidentiality provisions in our contracts… So your questions go very deep. There are some things I cannot answer because that would be a breach of non-disclosure agreements with clients.”

The investigation could be completed before the end of the month. University officials have said they will not comment on the donation while the investigation is ongoing.

Gerami: “The president is a good man”

On Friday, FAMU announced that Robinson would step down as the university’s 12th president. It is not yet clear when Robinson will officially step down or who will be named interim president.

While Gerami acknowledges that the donation controversy may have been a factor in Robinson’s resignation, he does not believe it is the only reason. He pointed to other challenges under Robinson’s leadership, particularly FAMU’s failure to meet benchmarks for its professional licensure programs — law, nursing, pharmacy and physical therapy.

“He has done many great things for FAMU and has been a friend and great supporter of FAMU,” Gerami said of Robinson, adding that the resignation came as a surprise to him following the FAMU Foundation’s recent vote of confidence.

“The president is a good man,” he added. “He has done a lot of great things for FAMU and the community, and I am sad to see him step down and leave FAMU. I am sad that this gift has gone so wrong and caused a lot of strife and pain on both sides.”

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