A former principal of a Catholic school in Pompano Beach is facing a felony charge after allegedly receiving unauthorized “extra pay” totaling more than $230,000.
Lori Ann St. Thomas, 62, turned herself into authorities Thursday at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale and was booked into the Main Jail on one count of communication fraud greater than $50,000, jail records show.
In November 2024, someone contacted deputies reporting that St. Thomas took extra pay from February 2016 through May 2025, totaling $238,196, according to a probable cause affidavit. The name of school where St. Thomas worked as principal and the name of the person who reported her to deputies are redacted in the affidavit.
St. Thomas was the principal of St. Coleman Catholic School from 2004 to 2024, according to a post on the school’s Facebook announcing her transition to a role as principal of Mary Help of Christians Catholic School in Parkland. It is unclear how long she held the role at the Parkland school, but that school’s current principal was appointed in May.
St. Thomas allegedly received the extra unauthorized pay through direct deposit in a way that was not typical for the school, though from who she received the deposit from is redacted in the affidavit.
“Any extra pay would need to be authorized by the head father or superintendent,” the affidavit said. “No documentation of the authorization of the extra pay was ever found.”
St. Thomas’s arraignment was held Thursday. She has not yet entered any plea to the charge.
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