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John C. McGrath, of East Norriton, spent more than $25,000 on personal expenses on the school-issued credit card provided by Our Lady of Mercy Regional Catholic School in Maple Glen, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said in a joint release.
An official with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia contacted Upper Dublin police on Nov. 4, 2021, informing them of an internal investigation that suggested McGrath had been stealing school funds over a period of time, Steele said alongside Upper Dublin Township Police Chief Francis Wheatley.
An investigation found that McGrath made unauthorized payments totaling $25,437, authorities said.
He used Venmo tied to a school credit card to make 11 transactions that were found to be personal totaling $12,777, the DA and chief said. Those transactions included five personal rent payments, they said.
The school credit card was used for 76 additional transactions totaling $7,905, which were used for restaurants, bars, Door Dash, Uber, hotel stays, and purchases on Amazon for clothing and housewares, some of which were gifted to a teacher at the school, authorities said.
Additionally, charges on the school credit card totaling $3,554 were for a non-existent conference in Washington, DC, the DA and chief said. The expenses were for a hotel stay and restaurants for a vacation taken by McGrath, his brother, and a teacher, they added.
Finally, in mid-2020, McGrath collected $1,200 from school families via his personal Venmo account in order to buy "OLM Strong" T-shirts; that money was never transferred to the school coffers, authorities said.
McGrath was charged with multiple felonies including dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity, theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception, receiving stolen property, and other related offenses.
McGrath was released after posting $50,000 bail, authorities said. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Friday, April 1.
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