Ex-Phoenixville school official gets 14 months for stealing $90K from student field trips and other funds

The former finance director for the Phoenixville Area School District was sentenced to 14 months in federal prison Wednesday for stealing nearly $95,000 in money earmarked for student field trips, summer programs, and sporting events.

Christopher Gehris, who resigned from the district in 2019 after an internal audit flagged the financial discrepancies, turned in court to apologize to school officials seated in the gallery’s front row. But under questioning from U.S. District Judge Mitchell S. Goldberg, he struggled to explain why he’d pocketed the funds.

“I didn’t buy a boat. There aren’t any other large purchases,” Gehris, 47, said, his expression obscured by a face mask. “There was credit card debt … family. I succumbed to the pressure of doing more than what we could afford.”

But while Gehris’ attorney pushed for a probationary sentence, citing the fact that his client had admitted what he’d done early on and was prepared to pay back what he stole, Goldberg resisted.

“This is absolutely not a probation case,” the judge said. “I’m still at a loss as to why [he did it]. So, I’m going to land on greed and nothing more — just plain unadulterated greed.”

Gehris’ crimes came to light after a district employee reported concerns to Superintendent Alan Fegley over how the money in one of the district’s accounts was being accounted for.

As part of the resulting investigation, district officials determined that Gehris had been making unexplained cash withdrawals, buying gift cards that later went missing and stealing money students had paid to finance school trips.

For instance, after $10,849 in checks and cash was collected from seventh-grade students going on a class trip, Gehris changed the records of the totals collected to short the fund nearly $800 that he deposited into his account.

That same year, according to court filings, Gehris sent an employee to buy three Visa gift cards, each worth $2,000, that he said were needed for another field trip. Those cards were never accounted for, and investigators later determined that Gehris had deposited them into his personal bank account.

When the FBI confronted him with his crimes in 2020, he admitted he’d been stealing from the district since 2010, when he was given control over its bank accounts. He pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement earlier this year.

In court Wednesday, defense lawyer Stephen I. Baer said Gehris was prepared to liquidate most of his retirement account with the Public School Employees’ Retirement System to pay back what he stole.

“The school district wants to be repaid,” he said. “My client wants to repay them. His intent is to make full restitution.”

Since he was charged last year, Baer said, Gehris has been working part time for an accounting firm in West Chester, making substantially less than the $130,000-a-year salary he was paid by the Phoenixville schools.

“Due to his self-inflicted harm,” Baer said, “Mr. Gehris has already punished himself.”

In addition to the prison term, Goldberg ordered Gehris to serve three years’ probation upon his release, make full restitution to the district, and complete 50 hours of community service.

School district officials did not immediately return calls for comment Wednesday but have previously said they’ve shored up internal controls and oversight procedures to ensure such embezzlement can’t happen again.