Ex-Coatesville schools chief wants charges dropped

A Chester County Court judge said Wednesday that he needed more time to decide whether some of the 47 charges against the former Coatesville school superintendent amounted to crimes, or were just violations of the state school code.

"We're talking about the criminal code," said Judge Thomas G. Gavin, who recently took over the case.

Gavin spoke at a hearing in West Chester in which the lawyer for former Superintendent Richard Como asked him to dismiss most of the charges, claiming a lack of evidence.

Como was a longtime popular superintendent who resigned in 2013 after racist and sexist texts were discovered on his school-issued phone. Prosecutors later accused him of diverting school funds to pay for high school championship football rings, among other offenses.

Defense attorney Paul J. Rubino said there was no evidence that Como, his immediate family, or any businesses with which he was affiliated financially benefited from a deal with the company that supplied high school championship football rings. He also said there was no evidence that Como transferred money from the budget of the high school director.

He said his client's actions were aboveboard.

"There's no shell game," Rubino said. "Everything he did, everyone knew about, because he asked people first."

Deputy District Attorney Thomas Ost-Prisco countered that the evidence showed that Como's actions were illegal.

"It's basically a classic money-laundering scheme," Ost-Prisco told the judge.

Sitting next to his attorney, Como did not speak at the hearing, but frowned as the prosecutor accused him of hiding funds for the football rings from school officials and using money meant for teaching students. When it was over, he left the courtroom without commenting.

Como's attorney also wants the judge to dismiss conflict of interest and theft charges relating to the hiring of his son, Matthew Como; the selling of a personal generator to the school district; and reimbursements for events the prosecution claims he did not attend or were not work-related.

Gavin said he would review court transcripts and documents before ruling. He continued the hearing until July 15.

In another Coatesville schools case, James Donato, a former athletic director accused of ethics violations and stealing thousands of district dollars for personal use, is awaiting trial.