Ex-Official Admits Thefts From UCLA : Courts: Head of publications, who resigned and apologized, pleads guilty to embezzling $475,000 to buy art, antiques.

A former UCLA assistant vice chancellor, a self-described book and art collector who has been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, pleaded guilty Thursday to stealing about $475,000 from the university to finance a three-year spending spree.

Jeffrey Marc Hirsch, 46, of West Los Angeles, collected so many antiques, artworks and tchotchkes that he needed to keep them in a storage locker he rented near the Westwood campus, authorities said.

Hirsch, who ran UCLA’s publications and news operations, managed to have the university pay for the art and collectibles by making sure most invoices and other bills remained under the $2,500 threshold that would trigger greater scrutiny from the university’s general purchasing office, court papers show.

“He was able to do that by making them look like they were purchases for his department,” said Richard A. Wilson, a deputy district attorney. “Sometimes he falsified invoices from vendors, and sometimes he changed or truncated the name of the vendor to disguise what was being purchased.”

The spending spree from 1995 to 1998 was finally discovered when UCLA auditor Ellen Feldgreber received a telephone call from a furniture vendor who was suspicious of an invoice for a $2,200 chair, court papers show.

Once confronted, Hirsch admitted misappropriating the money and turned over the keys to the storage unit, records show. He also resigned from his job and sent letters of apology to his superiors, saying that he was sorry and embarrassed to have disappointed them.

On Thursday, Hirsch pleaded guilty to four counts of grand theft by embezzlement.

Hirsch faces a maximum of eight years in prison. But under a plea agreement, he would serve up to 365 days in County Jail followed by five years on probation--provided that he makes full restitution and continues psychotherapy. He would be eligible to serve his time through work-furlough or on house arrest with electronic monitoring.

Hirsch, a first-time offender, was released on his own recognizance until his sentencing Oct. 6.

Defense attorney Peter Morris said his client “deeply regrets his conduct and the pain he has caused his family and his former colleagues at UCLA.”

“Jeffrey has been diagnosed with an obsessive-compulsive disorder, which compelled him to acquire objects,” Morris said. “Since acknowledging his misconduct, he has made extraordinary efforts to deal with his disorder. He has been and continues to be in extensive treatment.”

University officials had a high opinion of Hirsch, who had risen from the manager of various campus publications to oversee all of UCLA’s publications, marketing and public affairs as an acting assistant vice chancellor.

Some UCLA officials said Hirsch had impeccable taste and suggested that they could turn a profit on the Hirsch collection--if they are smart about selling the items.

For instance, Hirsch spent $4,530 for a pair of prints from Harry Callahan, a renowned photographer who died in March. The value of the prints has probably increased since his death.

All told, authorities inventoried 203 purchases from 52 art dealers and other vendors around the country. The eclectic collection includes oil paintings, books, vases, $1,200 worth of Louis Vuitton luggage and a $2,900 drafting table. Hirsch also spent $2,900 for a phrenology head, $11,325 for three Sally Mann photographs and $18,975 for artworks by Adam Fuss.

Joseph D. Mandel, vice chancellor for legal affairs, said the auditors have determined that UCLA’s internal controls remain adequate.

“No internal control system is fail-safe,” Mandel said. “To operate effectively, we rely on the integrity of highly placed managers, of which Jeffrey was one.”