BishopAccountability.org
 
  Cardinal Hayes Principal Forced out of Other Catholic School Earlier in Career

By Erin Einhorn
New York Daily News
February 29, 2008

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/02/29/2008-02-29_cardinal_hayes_principal_forced_out_of_o.html

The principal forced out of Cardinal Hayes High School for "inappropriate images" on his computer was removed from another Catholic school earlier in his career for mishandling funds.

Christopher Keogan also hired a teacher at Hayes last September knowing he had been charged with a felony for stealing from his ex-girlfriend, a soldier serving in Iraq.

Keogan admitted both improprieties in an interview with the Daily News.

He said he was caught mishandling money at Newark's Essex Catholic High School in 1989.

He said he used $2,500 of school money to pay the college tuition of a former student who was in crisis.

"Sometimes it's my fault," he said. "I'm a little too generous."

He told The News that the Christian Brothers - the Catholic religious order that he was a member of until taking a leave of absence four years ago - removed him from Essex, then sent him to teach at Hayes a year later.

A spokesman for the Christian Brothers, which runs Hayes and ran Essex until it closed in 2003, did not return a call seeking confirmation yesterday.

In an interview with TheNews, Keogan denied numerous accusations made against him by Hayes staffers - including a claim he stole cash from the school's finance office.

Keogan did admit poor judgment last September when he hired teacher Malik Cupid.

He said he knew Cupid had been charged with stealing but did not know the Hayes alum had pleaded guilty Sept. 26, he said.

He claims he notified the archdiocese office, which does background checks onhires. School staffers say Cupid was fired in December after they notified the archdiocese of his crime.

An archdiocese spokesman had no comment on Cupid.

Contact: eeinhorn@nydailynews.com

 
 

Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.