Former Smithton school principal pleads guilty to federal embezzlement charge

A former elementary school principal pleaded guilty to a federal charge of embezzling more than $100,000 from a private school in Smithton Wednesday.

Roy Joseph Monti, 54, of St. Louis admitted to a single count of transporting stolen money across state lines in the U.S. Court for the Southern District of Illinois.

According to court documents, Monti worked as the principal of St. John the Baptist Elementary School in Smithton. Between March 2017 and November of 2019, he withdrew a total of $113,061.87 in cash from the school’s bank account.

Withdrawal slips showed valid purposes for the withdrawals when, in fact, Monti was keeping the money for himself, he admitted according to court records.

Because he lived in Missouri while working in Illinois, Monti often carried large amounts of stolen cash across state lines, which brought the federal charge.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 7, 2021 at 2:30 p.m. at the federal courthouse in East St. Louis, Illinois. According to federal sentencing guidelines, Monti could receive as much as 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

This case resulted from a referral and investigation by the FBI, with “significant assistance” from the Smithton Police Department, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s office.

The Diocese of Belleville Wednesday issued a statement saying that it first discovered “accounting irregularities” in November of 2019. Monti resigned his position as principal after being confronted.

“The Diocese’s Chief Financial Officer indicated that the Parish and School will receive full restitution of the funds misappropriated by Mr. Monti — ensuring that funds entrusted to the Church by its parishioners, school parents and donors are used for their intended purpose, in this case the Catholic education of our children at St. John the Baptist School,” the diocese’s statement said.

This story was originally published September 23, 2020 at 3:16 PM.