FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A longtime school administrator turned herself in at the Broward County Courthouse on Thursday as she faces a charge of defrauding the Catholic school where she served as principal for two decades.
Lori St. Thomas served as the principal of St. Coleman Catholic School, located at 2250 SE 12th St. in Pompano Beach, from 2004 to 2024, according to a Facebook post from the school announcing her transfer to Mary Help of Christians Catholic School, located at 6000 N. University Drive in Parkland.
6 p.m. report:
St. Thomas, 61, of Coral Springs, worked for the Archdiocese of Miami from August 1986 until her firing in October 2024, according to a spokesperson for the organization.
According to court documents, from 2016 to 2025, St. Thomas received “unauthorized extra pay in a separate direct deposit” from St. Coleman totalling $238,196.
A representative from St. Coleman contacted the Broward Sheriff’s Office after discovering the fraud, deputies said.
St. Thomas, facing a charge of obtaining property over $50,000 by fraud, was being held at the BSO Main Jail on a $50,000 bond as of Thursday afternoon.
“As this is an active legal matter, we are unable to further comment at this time,” a statement from the Archdiocese of Miami reads.
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