‘Whistleblower’ Catholic school principal accused of stealing $238K convicted

A Coral Springs woman who served as the former principal of St. Coleman Catholic School has been found guilty after she was accused of receiving over $238,000 from the institution in “unauthorized” direct deposits.

A Broward County jury convicted 62-year-old Lori Ann St. Thomas of organized scheme to defraud on March 3, and her sentencing is set for April 15, records show.

She led the Pompano Beach school as principal for 20 years before leaving at the end of the 2023-24 academic year to become the principal of Mary Help of Christians Catholic School in Parkland.

Her attorney, Tonja Haddad Coleman, wrote in court documents that her client was a “whistleblower” who reported sexual misconduct, and in turn, experienced retaliation.

Haddad Coleman wrote in various motions submitted to the court that evidence was being withheld that would have helped her client’s case.

“We believe that a full and fair presentation of the evidence did not occur at this trial, and the fight for justice for Dr. St. Thomas is not over,” she told the Coral Springs News on March 5. “We look forward to proving that she did not engage in an organized scheme to defraud.”

The attorney wrote in a motion to compel Feb. 3 that prosecutors didn’t turn over two testimonies taken from St. Coleman employees about the alleged overpayment issue that were “favorable to (St. Thomas), or at the very least explained how money was collected and distributed at St. Coleman; including the use of stipends and how they were paid.”

In November 2024, a representative of St. Coleman reported the former principal’s alleged theft to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, saying they discovered St. Thomas had received $238,196 in “unauthorized extra pay” over the course of nine years, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Investigators with the Broward Sheriff’s Office said St. Thomas received the extra money through direct deposits separate from her typical pay check, which was not how payroll was normally dispersed. A school representative said the head father or superintendent was supposed to authorize any such payments, as required under school policy.

But Haddad Coleman said the priest had in fact authorized them, and repeatedly.

Haddad Coleman’s Feb. 3 motion says the investigation was not independent, and that the Archdiocese of Miami “controlled the information,” failing to turn over statements and records that would have exonerated St. Thomas.

She went on to say a bookkeeper listed as a defense witness with key knowledge was fired after giving a statement during a hearing, and the statement was never handed over.

At one point during the trial, a motion revealed that the Excel spreadsheet of St. Thomas’ alleged stipends “previously admitted into evidence is no longer in evidence,” and the jury was instructed to ignore testimony about it.

With the evidence presented, the jury returned a guilty verdict.

“The Archdiocese respects the legal process and thanks all involved for their service throughout this difficult matter,” the Archdiocese of Miami said in a statement March 3.

“From the moment that irregularities were discovered, the Archdiocese acted promptly and appropriately — including cooperating fully with law enforcement and terminating St. Thomas’ employment in October 2024.”

Haddad Coleman said the case is not over, as post-trial motions are underway.

On March 5, she filed an order to show cause as to why the company that managed the school’s payroll, Paylocity, should not be held in contempt of court for failing to give her subpoenaed records, including payroll information for St. Coleman employees that “would show that Dr. St. Thomas properly received stipends through regular payroll, just as everyone else did,” Haddad Coleman wrote.