Falls Church Woman Sentenced For Spending Funds Intended For DC School

FALLS CHURCH, VA — A Falls Church woman who served as a former principal at a DC school received a prison sentence for embezzling funds intended for students.

Bridget Coates, 49, of Falls Church, pleaded guilty in April to one charge of wire fraud for embezzling at least $175,000 in funds. Coates, the former principal at St. Thomas More Catholic School in southeast DC, was sentenced to 30 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Coates must also pay $175,000 in restitution to the Archdiocese of Washington and the same amount in a forfeiture money judgment.

Court documents indicate the scheme took place between June 2012 through December 2017. According to prosecutors, Coates took the funds from the Home School Association, which holds fundraisers and collected parent contributions for student services and activities.

As principal, Coates could access the association's checks and could pay expenditures for school purposes. However, prosecutors say Coates used funds to purchase personal goods and services, such as designer clothes. Coates wrote approximately 66 unauthorized checks, and the $175,000 in embezzled funds was deposited into her personal bank account. The funds also helped Coates qualify for a home mortgage loan.