Kreuper pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and . The revelation came as a rude shock to parents who were led to believe that school was struggling to stay afloat because of a lack of funds. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, admitted stealing $835,000 while principal of an LA-area school. Copyright 2023 by City News Service, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 'I have sinned, I've broken the law and I . In a memo to the judge, prosecutors cited letters from parents and students, including one from a 12-year-old saying Kreuper was just like any other robber.. Nuns stole over $500,000 from struggling Catholic school to fund trips and gambling habit, FBI recovers over $2M out of $4.4M ransom paid to Colonial Pipeline hackers. pg.acq.push(function() { She reportedly claimed, after she was caught by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, that she "used the money to travel, eat out with friends and gamble in Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, and Temecula," the site reported. Explore the variety of ways to be a part of our community. was part of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet order, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. Sr. Mary Margaret Kreuper, CSJ and Sr. Lana Chang, CSJ, who both retired this year from St. James Catholic School in Torrance, are alleged to have misappropriated nearly $500,000 from the school.. When the Archdiocese of Los Angeles first confronted Kreuper about her misconduct, she argued that priests are better paid than nuns, and said she believed she deserved a raise, according to the government. As principal -- a position she had for nearly 30 years before she retired -- Kreuper was responsible for the money the school received to pay for tuition and fees, as well as for charitable donations, according to documents filed in Los Angeles federal court. In the plea agreement, she admitted to having used the diverted funds to pay for expenses that the order would not have approved, much less paid for, including large gambling expenses incurred at casinos and certain credit card charges. Kreuper also admitted that she falsified monthly and annual reports to the school administration to cover up her fraudulent conduct. eventAction: 'load' A lock ( Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, entered her plea to wire fraud and money laundering charges, which . The charges against the 79-year-old were leveled on Tuesday, June 8, and prosecutors at the same time filed a plea agreement. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper is an 80-year-old nun from Torrance and a former principal of St. James Catholic School. The retired principal of a Catholic elementary school in Torrance, who as a nun took a vow of poverty, pleaded guilty Thursday to federal charges that she embezzled more than $835,000 in school funds to support a gambling habit. Lock Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Yosemite breaks decades-old snowfall record, closing national park indefinitely, San Diego federal judge had defendants 13-year-old daughter handcuffed. Wright ordered Kreuper, who took a vow of poverty and whose living expenses are paid for by the order, to pay $835,339 in restitution to St. James. I apologize for the public scandal, the embarrassment and the financial burden that I have placed on the sisters in my religious community, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, St. James School, the parishioners, parents and students who placed their trust in me.. Trust shouldnt be broken like that., Kevin Kearns, who met Kreuper in 2011 when he enrolled his son in kindergarten at St. James, asked Wright to show leniency, saying she put the students and parents above everything else., The church tells us to forgive those who have trespassed against us, Kearns said. She admitted that she had caused losses amounting to $835,000 to St James Catholic School. hitType: 'event', Parent and former school secretaryCheryl Hugo reportedly called Kreupers actions an abuse of power in every possible way.. I dont feel that Im a victim in this case, he said. We are one of the worlds fastest growing Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, of Los Angeles, agreed last month to plead guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Have a tip or story idea? eventAction: 'click_image_ads' '', U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II said at last year's plea hearing that he was raised as a Roman Catholic, "and was educated by nuns. Ive used this to teach my son that were all human, we all make mistakes, but the power of forgiveness is the most powerful tool that we have.. In March 2017, for instance, Kreuper deposited $5,700 in checks made out to the school into the convent account and then, in April 2017, wrote a check against the convent account for $6,000, made out to person who deposited the check and gave her the cash, the site reported. Sister Lana, her 67-year-old accomplice, worked there for 20 years as. A federal judge sentenced Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, a nun and former Catholic school principal, to a year in prison for embezzling more than $835,000 from the school she ran to fund a more secular lifestyle including gambling trips. We do know they had a pattern of going to casinos, and the reality is, they used the account as their personal account," an attorney told the crowd at the meeting. document.querySelector("#adunit").addEventListener('click',function(){ Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. }); Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admits to stealing over $835k from a Catholic School. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function(event) { She diverted tuition to a secret account, which she used to fund casino trips, prosecutors said. Despite her nun's vow of poverty . ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. ga('ads.send', { The religious order Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, of which Sr. Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sr. Lana Chang are members, has agreed to a "full restitution" of money used for personal matters by the two women, the letter said. For a period of 10 years ending in September 2018, Kreuper embezzled money from St. James Catholic School. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, is seen in this undated photo. Eighty-year-old Mary Margaret Kreuper admitted stealing the money from 2008 to 2018 while she was principal at St. James Catholic School in the LA suburb of Torrance. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet confirm that today the judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California in Los Angeles has sentenced our Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, CSJ to one year and one day in federal prison followed by two years' supervised release. A NUN is set to plead guilty to embezzling more than $830,000 from the Catholic elementary school she ran to bankroll her gambling habit, prosecutors say. For 10 years until September 2018, prosecutors say she bilked the facility for money. if(document.querySelector("#adunit")){ Officials with the archdiocese alleged the nuns spent some of the money on personal trips and gambling, the Press-Telegram reported. (213) 894-4465. According to the plea agreement, Kreuper embezzled money from St. James for a period of 10 years ending in September 2018. The nun has also been asked to pay a total of $825,338 in restitution to St. James Catholic School. The 80-year-old nun also was ordered to pay a total of. }) While at the organization, she was responsible for the money the school received to pay for tuition and fees as well as charitable donations. Mary Margaret Kreuper was the principal of the elementary school for 28 years. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Arlington Heights in Los Angeles, was also ordered to pay $825,338 in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.. He settled on one year and a day in prison. Have a question about Government Services? June 8, 2021 / 8:30 PM ga('create', 'UA-67136960-15', 'auto', 'ads'); She was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison in addition to . A media statement issued last month by her attorneys, Mark A. Byrne and Daniel V. Nixon, said that Sister Mary Margaret had been "very remorseful" and had accepted full responsibility for what she had done. In court papers it was . 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According to Meyers, Kreuper and Chang were able to get away with the alleged scheme for years because the school was profitable and the money the sisters took would have ended up in a reserve fund. I have sinned, Kreuper said during a Monday teleconference, according to The New York Daily News. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, who took a vow of poverty, begged a judge to show . Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, was also ordered to pay $825,338 in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Church officials previously said they did not want to press criminal charges against the nuns. Sister Mary Margaret, 77, was a pillar of the community who spent 29 years as the principal of St. James Catholic School. Mary Margaret Kreuper was so close to getting away with it. Prosecutors also said that Kreuper directed St. James School staff to alter and destroy financial records during an audit, and caused total losses of $835,339. ", Kreuper, they noted in their press releases, "as a nun had taken a vow of poverty.". Mary Margaret Kreuper, a nun who admitted stealing more than $800,000 from St. James Catholic School in Torrance when she was its principal, spent some of the money on trips to Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe. Justice for others and for ourselves is a deep value held by the Sisters of St. Joseph. At the prosecutors request, the judge later lowered the amount by $10,000 to account for what she has already repaid. Wright also said that as someone who had been educated by nuns, "unlike most cases, this one will be a struggle.". Mary Margaret Kreuper, a nun who admitted stealing more than $800,000 from St. James Catholic School in Torrance when she was its principal, spent some of the money on trips to Las Vegas and Lake. Ive broken the law and I have no excuses. According to her plea agreement reviewed by Courthouse News, Kreuper began diverting both cash and checks the school received from payment for children's tuition and as donations into a St. James Convent bank account (established to pay for the living expenses of the nuns who worked at the school) as well as a the St. James savings account established for the school itself. Kreuper, who had taken a vow of poverty, admitted in the plea agreement to diverting school funds into the St. James Convent account and the St. James savings account and then using the diverted funds "to pay for expenses that the order would not have approved, much less paid for, including large gambling expenses incurred at casinos and certain credit card charges. Kreuper agreed to both charges which carry a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in federal prison. hitType: 'event', At the same time, prosecutors filed a plea agreement in which Kreuper agreed to plead guilty to the two charges, which carry a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in federal prison. Our community is deeply saddened by the pain and difficulty Sister Marys actions have caused for the parents, administration, staff and students of St. James School in Redondo Beach, California and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The school became aware of the alleged embezzlement in a routine audit when one of the nuns retired as the school's principal. An official website of the United States government. Have a tip we should know? She will appear for an arraignment at the United States District Court on July 1. https://t.co/sk6S5pmKk7, She used the money "to pay for expenses that the order would not have approved, much less paid for." The nun admitted to her crimes shortly after she was indicted. Her crime came to light after her retirement was announced in 2018 and the archdiocese began an audit of the school's finances to prepare for its change in leadership. / KCAL News. Kreuper's embezzlement is nothing like what goes in the political circles of the country. Her deadline to show up for incarceration is noon on June 7. let gads_event; U.S. District Judge Otis D . gads_event = event; We pray that in time those impacted will find healing and the seeds of forgiveness. Documents state, Kreuper lulled St. James School and the Administration into believing that the schools finances were being properly accounted for and its financial assets properly safeguarded, which, in turn, allowed defendant Kreuper to maintain her access and control of the schools finances and accounts and, thus, continue operating the fraudulent scheme.. Or to keep it anonymous, click here. Now Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, is set to spend a year and a day in prison followed by two years of supervised release. She pled guilty to the charges in July 2021 and admitted that she embezzled money from the school for over a decade during her tenure. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Kreuper controlled accounts at a credit union, including a savings account for the school and one established to pay the . We, and those who share our charism and mission, are motivated in all things by our profound love of God and our dear neighbors. A California nun is heading to jail after she admitted to stealing more than $835,000 in funds from a Catholic school to pay off her credit card and gambling debts. We also deeply value relationships. Sister Mary took responsibility for her actions by pleading guilty. And I don't look at nuns as ordinary people. Urgent needs call us to bold conversation and prophetic action. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. Unfortunately, later in her life she has been suffering from a mental illness that clouded her judgement and caused her to do something that she otherwise would not have done. They declined to go into further detail about any illness their client may have been diagnosed with, according to a report by Daily Breeze. Suite 1200 It turns out that at the time Kristen Biel learned she had breast cancer, Kreuper, the school principal who fired her, was embezzling large amounts of money to go on gambling sprees in Las Vegas.. Prosecutors had recommended a 24-month prison sentence, three years of supervised release, and restitution. She must also pay $825,338 in restitution, covering most of the losses of $835,339 from St. James Catholic School in the Arlington Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. Meyers said during the meeting that around that same time a family who gave money to the school requested a copy of the check, and staff noticed that the check had been deposited into an account not associated with the school. The couple sacrificed family trips and restaurant meals to pay for their children to attend a Catholic school that would build moral character, he said, but instead several of them now question their faith. These funds were intended to further the students education, not fund [Kreupers] lifestyle. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, of Los Angeles, was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering on Tuesday for defrauding St. James Catholic School over a period . eventAction: 'view' Mary Margaret Kreuper had been principal at St. James Catholic School, where Sr. Lana Chang had been a teacher. 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