U.S.

Department of Justice

Matthew M. Graves
United States Attorney for the
District of Columbia
Judiciary Center
555 Fourth St. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20530

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For Information Contact:
Monday, April 4, 2022 Public Affairs
(202) 252-6933
http://www.justice.gov/usao/dc/index.html

Former School Principal Pleads Guilty to Embezzling $175,000

From Fund for Student Activities and Services
Scheme Ran From 2012 to 2017

WASHINGTON – A former school principal pleaded guilty today to stealing at least

$175,000 from an association that raises funds from parent contributions and fundraisers to
provide school-related services and activities to students, admitting that she used the money for
personal purposes, including to qualify for a home mortgage loan.

The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Matthew R. Stohler,
Special Agent in Charge, Washington Field Office, U.S. Secret Service, and Robert J. Contee III,
Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

Bridget Coates, 48, of Falls Church, Va., was the principal of St. Thomas More Catholic
School in Southeast Washington at the time her criminal activity began, in 2012, until she
resigned in 2018. She pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a
charge of wire fraud. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison and potential
financial penalties. Under the Court’s sentencing guidelines, Coates faces a likely range of 27 to
33 months in prison and a potential fine of up to $100,000. She also has agreed to pay $175,000
in restitution and an identical amount in a forfeiture money judgment.

The Honorable Dabney L. Friedrich scheduled sentencing for June 15, 2022.

According to court documents, from June 2012 through December 2017, Coates devised
a scheme to steal from the school’s Home School Association, an organization affiliated with the
school that supported 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. Coates, however, engaged in a pattern of purchasing personal
goods and services with the funds. Over the time period, she wrote approximately 66
unauthorized checks and deposited at least $175,000 into her personal bank account. Among
other things, she used the funds to help her qualify for a home-mortgage loan.

In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Stohler and Chief
Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Secret Service and the
Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who
handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Chad Byron, and
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Nestler and Marco Crocetti, who investigated and prosecuted
the matter.

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