Crime & Safety

Former Bishop Ireton Employee Arrested

Tony Cortese is accused of selling property he purchased for the school.

A former employee of Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria was arrested Friday and charged with misuse of school property.

Anthony “Tony” Cortese, the school’s chief engineer, was fired the same day by the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, according to a statement from the diocese. The school and diocese worked with the Alexandria Police Department in recent weeks after receiving a report that Cortese was selling property and equipment that he purchased for the school.

The diocese is conducting a forensic audit to determine the full cost of the stolen property and noted that Cortese’s arrest and termination are not the result of any direct offense against students or staff.

Find out what's happening in West End Alexandriawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“The Bishop Ireton community and the diocese put their trust in Mr. Cortese, and it appears that he repaid that trust by stealing from the school,” said diocesan Finance Officer Timothy Cotnoir in a statement. “While we are gratified that this situation was uncovered, it is nevertheless dispiriting to find evidence suggesting that a member of the staff engaged in systematic and sustained fraud and theft against the school.

The cost of any equipment not recovered from Cortese is covered by insurance funds.

Find out what's happening in West End Alexandriawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"The diocese thanks the Alexandria Police Department for its work in this matter, as well as the vigilance of the individual who reported Cortese’s suspicious activity. I encourage anyone with information about potential fraud or theft against a diocesan parish, school or ministry to call the diocese’s EthicsPoint Fraud Hotline at 1-888-293-3718.”


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from West End Alexandria