Terry Goddard Announces Guilty Plea of Former Principal For Stealing More than $34,000 in Funds Donated to Public Schools

(Phoenix, Ariz. -- September 17, 2010)  Attorney General Terry Goddard today announced that Janet Thor, 59, of Phoenix, a former principal in the Kyrene School District, has pleaded guilty to one count of theft and one count of misuse of public monies related to her stealing more than $34,000 from two public schools where she worked.  

She will be sentenced Oct. 18 in the courtroom of Maricopa County Superior Court Commissioner James Rummage. The terms of the plea agreement call for Thor to be placed on supervised probation. Thor has paid the full amount owed in restitution.  

Thor is alleged to have taken money donated to two schools where she was principal and used it for personal expenses. The indictment states that while Thor was principal at Kyrene de los Cerritos Elementary School, she stole over $18,000. These funds were gifts to the school from parents, business organizations and the school’s PTO. 

Thor became principal at Cerritos on July 1, 2004. On July 1, 2007, she became the principal at Kyrene del Cielo. Between that date and her resignation in April of 2009, Thor is alleged to have stolen over $15,000. These funds were also donations from parents, community members and business organizations intended to benefit the school.

“This is a tragedy for a trusted principal to steal money donated to her schools,” Goddard said.   “The one positive note is that those funds have now been fully repaid by the defendant.”   

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Michael Flynn. The investigation was conducted by the Kyrene School District, Tempe Police Department and the Auditor General’s Office.

For more information, contact Press Secretary Molly Edwards at (602) 542-8019.