PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A principal stole money from his Catholic school coffers to pay for his own rent, a vacation, online shopping and other personal expenses, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.
Our Lady of Mercy Regional Catholic School Principal John McGrath, 56, of East Norriton is charged with felonies including theft, fraud, dealing in the proceeds of unlawful activity, and lying to authorities, according to the criminal complaint.
A Philadelphia Archdiocese official tipped off Upper Dublin Township police in November after an internal investigation had turned up evidence that McGrath had stolen money from the Maple Glen school. Police say they later confirmed that McGrath had used a school-issued credit card, Venmo and Amazon.com to make unauthorized transactions totaling $25,436.54.
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According to authorities, McGrath made 11 Venmo transactions tied to a school credit card, including five rent payments, totaling $12,777.15. They say he used the school card for some 76 transactions, totaling $7,905.29, at restaurants, bars and hotels, for food delivery and ride-hailing services, and for online purchases.
McGrath spent an additional $3,554.10 to take his brother and a teacher on vacation — but said it was for a conference in Washington, D.C., which didn't really exist — according to cops. And he bilked school families out of $1,200 using his personal Venmo account, supposedly to buy "OLM Strong" T-shirts — but that money never made it to the school.
McGrath was arraigned on Tuesday and released on $50,000 bail. He will get a preliminary hearing on April 1.
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