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	Former Catholic School Principal Pleads Guilty to Theft By Jennifer Golson The Star-Ledger August 20, 2008 http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/former_catholic_school_princip.html A former Catholic school principal admitted this afternoon to taking more than $8,000 from two institutions in the Diocese of Metuchen. Michelle Little, 40, of Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to third- and fourth-degree theft for the incidents that occurred at Holy Family Academy in Bound Brook and the now-defunct Corpus Christi Elementary School in South River. Little and her defense attorney Eric B. Morrell appeared before Superior Court Judge Paul Amstrong in Somerville. Somerset County Assistant Prosecutor Nicole McGrath handled the case for the state. Little admitted taking $241.87 from Corpus Christi Elementary while she was working there between July 1, 2006, and June 30, 2007. She took another $7,787.86 from Holy Family Academy between July 1, 2007, and March 13, 2008. Morrell said his client takes full responsibility for what she's done, noting she didn't use the funds for lavish living. "Her husband left the family and left her with a lot of family expenses," Morrell said. "Sometimes it was for gas to get to work. Sometimes it was to pay for medical costs for one of her children." Little has three sons, ages 17, 14 and 12, Morrell said. McGrath said the state is recommending probation, 200 hours of community service, full restitution and a $1,000 fine. Corpus Christi's closing had nothing to do with the theft, Morrell said. Little had been brought in to bolster enrollment and had done so, he said, adding a new reading program and having the building refurbished. "This was definitely an aberration of her personality," Morrell said. "This isn't Michelle. This is not the way she was raised."
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