2 Coatesville Officials Charged with Stealing School Funds
Authorities today charged Coatesville Area School District officials with stealing funds from the district. Ex-superintendent Richard Como and ex-athletic director Jim Donato would also be charged with violating the state’s Ethics Act.
Como and Donato first came into the news last year when racist text messages between the two surfaced. But prosecutors say the two were also misappropriating and mishandling money at the school. Donato was charged with 139 counts of felony theft, while Como is facing 51 counts. “It’s just greed,” DA Tom Hogan said. “Greed, greed, greed.”
Both former Coatesville officials were released on $250,000 unsecured bail.
As a result of the racist text messages between the two administrators, text messaging capability is being removed from school-issued cell phones. “The Grand Jury funds the board’s ignorance, apathy and cavalier attitude to be both inexplicable and shocking,” the Grand Jury report found.
