A former high-ranking employee at a Juneau hospital has been charged with making fraudulent travel requests and online purchases

State prosecutors on Friday charged a former high-ranking employee at Juneau’s Bartlett Regional Hospital with two counts of first-degree theft.

State troopers arrested former behavioral health officer Bradley Grigg Thursday evening for allegedly stealing more than $100,000 from the city-owned hospital. He participated in the arraignment via video call from Lemon Creek Correctional Center.

Court documents list two crimes: the first involving more than $25,000 in travel-related expenses, the second involving more than $25,000 in Amazon purchases.

The charges each carry up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. But the High Court judge Mariana Carpenetti said that the prison term for the first crimes is short – up to three years. The state is not aware of any prior felonies on Grigg’s record.

District Attorney Jessalyn Gillum Grigg, whose annual salary was $180,000, accused Bartlett of stealing from the hospital while he was in his leadership role.

“The action primarily involved fraudulent refund requests for travel and accommodations on trips that were not actually taken,” Gillum said. “Also, the personal expenses that Bartlett made through his credit card purchases were certainly not for business purposes.”

Grigg’s arrest follows an investigation by the City and County of Juneau.

“We learned about that through an internal whistleblowing process and we provided those details to the district attorney,” said Deputy City Manager Robert Barr.

Grigg worked at Bartlett Regional Hospital for four years. It came hours after the resignation and firing of former CEO Rose Lawhorn following his discharge from the hospital last fall. After the departures of Lawhorn and Grigg, all of the hospital’s top management left.

Barr said the city and hospital have tightened controls on hospital expenses “to prevent this from happening in the future.”

This includes a monthly review of all credit card purchases made by management and the use of purchase orders instead of credit cards, he said.

Barr would not say at this time whether the city will seek damages in civil court.

“We are interested and eager for the judicial process to play out as it is designed to work in our courts and legal system,” Barr said.

At his arraignment, Grigg hung his head as prosecutors set bail at $25,000. He asked the court to give him less money.

“I’m not a public safety threat,” Grigg told Carpenetti. “I’m not a flight risk. No plans, no booked flights or anything like that, getting me out of town. Maybe I don’t have a job anymore, but, you know, I have a life here.

Carpenetti set Grigg’s bail at $10,000 cash, and he will be under electronic monitoring. He may not visit the hospital, and is restricted from meeting many witnesses in the case. It also cannot leave the City and Borough of Juneau, and will not visit the airport, ferry terminal or any ports.

Carpenetti pleaded “not guilty” to Grigg until he can get a lawyer.