Bridget Coates, the former principal of St. Thomas More Catholic School in Washington, D.C., pled guilty April 4 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to stealing at least $175,000 from the school’s Home School Association.

Coates, who resigned as principal of St. Thomas More School in 2018, admitted to stealing the funds between 2012 and 2017 and pled guilty to a charge of wire fraud. She agreed to pay $175,000 in restitution and an identical amount in a forfeiture money judgment.

Sentencing in her case is scheduled for June 15, 2022, and the maximum sentence for that charge is 20 years in prison and financial penalties. A statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said that she is likely to be sentenced to 27 to 33 months in prison, and potentially pay a fine of $100,000.

“We are grateful for the efforts of District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia in investigating and prosecuting this criminal conduct. We pray that Ms. Coates’s acceptance of responsibility will be a step toward healing for all those impacted by her criminal conduct,” The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington said in a statement after the guilty plea.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Coates misappropriated Home School Association funds for more than five years. The association funds are earmarked to support student services and activities.

“As the school principal, Coates had access to the Home School Association’s checks, and could use her discretion to pay expenditures for only school-related purposes,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office statement said. “Coates, however, engaged in a pattern of purchasing personal goods and services with the funds.” It said that the former principal wrote about 66 unauthorized checks that she used for her personal use, including depositing funds into her personal bank account and using the funds to help her qualify for a home mortgage loan.

The archdiocese in its statement noted, “Responsible stewardship of the financial gifts generously entrusted to the schools of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington is a responsibility that the archdiocese takes very seriously. Anyone who may suspect financial or other misconduct involving any archdiocesan employee, office, or other setting is encouraged to make a report to the archdiocese.”