Docs: Treasurer stole over $200,000 from Purdue women’s fraternity, used the money to buy her boyfriend drugs and a truck

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A former treasurer at Purdue Phi Mu Fraternity has been charged with felony theft after reportedly embezzling over $200,000 from the all-women’s organization and using the money to buy her boyfriend drugs and a truck.

Bryana Bunte, 41, was charged this week in Tippecanoe County Court with two felony counts of theft and one felony count of corrupt business influence. Bunte, court docs show, was previously employed as a treasurer at Purdue’s Phi Mu Fraternity.

Officers with the Purdue University Police Department began investigating Bunte in January 2023 after two Phi Mu employees told police that she was suspected of embezzling over $200,000 from the Delta Epsilon House Corporation’s Phi Mu chapter. The embezzlement allegedly occurred between Oct. 2021 and Dec. 2022, court docs show.

Bunte is accused of using an online application to write herself around 30 checks that totaled over $196,000. Furthermore, Phi Mu officials believe she charged the company credit card over $17,600. Finally, police claim over 15 checks meant to pay for room and board at the Phi Mu house had been deposited into Bunte’s personal bank account.

According to police, Bunte was previously a fraternity member and served on its board before becoming treasurer in 2018. In December of 2022, Phi Mu officials reportedly confronted Bunte where she admitted to wrongdoing and was subsequently fired.

The next month, Phi Mu officials reportedly met with Bunte and went over bank records to determine which purchases were legitimate and which were for personal use.

Court documents show that Bunte later admitted to Phi Mu officials that she’d been using the embezzled money for extravagant purchases that included:

• Buying her boyfriend a truck
• Buying her boyfriend drugs
• Paying for vacations
• Paying for everyday living expenses

PUPD reportedly finished its investigation into Bunte in February of 2024. On March 25, 2024, court documents were filed in Tippecanoe County charging her with two counts of theft and one count of corrupt business influence.

Online court records show that an initial hearing in Bunte’s case is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on April 5.

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