Ex-athletic director charged with defrauding NJ catholic school

🏈 Former athletic director accused of improper side hustle

🏈 Held position for over 5 years

🏈 School brought on a new director last year

CHERRY HILL — The former head of athletics at a school in Camden County is charged with stealing from his then-employer.

Samuel Hardy, 31, was served with summonses at a home in Lower Alloways Creek for three third-degree offenses on Tuesday, according to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.

He is charged with theft, misapplication of entrusted property, and theft by failure to make a required deposit.

Authorities said he defrauded Camden Catholic High School out of thousands of dollars.

Side hustle on school grounds

Hardy was hired as the athletic director at Camden Catholic in July 2019.

"I'm so excited to be apart of one of the most prestigious and storied high schools in the country!" Hardy said at the time on Facebook.

But he used the position to enrich himself, prosecutors said.

Authorities said he rented out the high school's athletic field to local sports organizations off the books from March 2023 to February 2024. There were no records of contracts or any payments made to the school, according to prosecutors.

Detectives said they found financial records showing he made $17,000 from renting out the fields and deposited the money into his personal bank account.

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Hardy stopped working for the school in February 2024, prosecutors said. Camden Catholic hired a new athletic director around that time, the school said on its website.

It's not clear where Hardy works now. His LinkedIn profile has not been updated to reflect any job changes.

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