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.. }); Nuns should realize that just by living their lives and living the way they do and treating people the way they do, they affect children for the rest of their lives, said Wright, who fell silent and covered his face in his hands for a long pause during his pronouncement of the sentence. Your login session has expired. She pleaded guilty last July to one count . For a period of 10 years ending in September 2018, Kreuper embezzled money from St. James Catholic School. The 79-year-old former nun pleaded guilty to federal charges for stealing more than $800,000 from St. James Catholic School earlier this month. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, who took a vow of poverty, begged a judge to show her mercy and spare her prison, saying: "I have sinned, I've broken the law and I have no excuses." She called her crimes a "violation of my vows, my commandments, the law and, above all, the sacred trust that so many had placed in me". We also deeply value relationships. Kreuper had pleaded guilty in July to one count each of wire fraud and money laundering. 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.. hitType: 'event', Kreuper pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and . 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. I havent slept well in God knows how long, Wright told a Zoom hearing audience, rejecting prosecutors call for a two-year term and saying he could not bring himself to judge Kreuper solely on the worst thing that shes done in her life.. 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. MEAWW brings you the best content from its global team of U.S. District Judge Otis D . Bannon along with Philip Esformes, 52, a businessman from Florida, who was sentenced for orchestrating a $1B Medicare fraud scheme, spent New Year's Eve as a free man They were part of Trump's long list of pardons and commutations granted to more than 200 convicts in the final days of his presidency. 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. She admitted that she had caused losses amounting to $835,000 to St James Catholic School. This is merely an explanation.. Sister Lana, her 67-year-old accomplice, worked there for 20 years as. Auditors at the meeting said that checks made out to the school for tuition and other fees first went to Kreuper before being handed over to the bookkeeping staff. Today, we commit to respond boldly to injustice and dare to be prophetic. Chang was a teacher for about 20 years and also recently served as vice principal. The church was made aware of the scheme around June when it began a routine audit in response to Kreupers retiring. Mary Margaret Kreuper had been principal at St. James Catholic School, where Sr. Lana Chang had been a teacher. ", She also admitted in the plea agreement to falsifying monthly and annual reports to the school's administration to cover up the fraudulent conduct and "lulled St. James School and the Administration into believing that the school's 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 school's finances and accounts and, thus, continue operating the fraudulent scheme.". Church monsignor Michael Myers addressed a crowd of a few hundred people saying the archdiocese had launched an investigation into the matter after Kreuper became "very nervous and very anxious" about her financial review and asked for records to be altered. Not all of the years appear to have involved alleged financial crimes. Sister Mary Margaret, 77, was a pillar of the community who spent 29 years as the principal of St. James Catholic School. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('impressionViewable', function(event) { Shes 80 years old. In a letter addressed to parents and parishioners, he wrote, "Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana have expressed to me and asked that I convey to you, the deep remorse they each feel for their actions and ask for your forgiveness and prayers. Following Mondays hearing Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper was released under her own recognizance and is required to turn herself in to the Federal Bureau of Prisons by June 7, 2022. However, her arrangement came to light following a 2018 financial review after her retirement. window.adsContainer = {"positionAfterTitle":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle5_Rel_Newrev","isOrganicUserAd":true,"max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position2":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_After_Title_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position3":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Below_Next_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position4":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position5":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle1_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position6":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle2_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position7":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle3_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position8":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle4_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position9":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle5_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position10":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle6_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position11":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle7_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position12":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle8_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position13":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle9_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position14":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle10_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position15":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle11_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position16":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle12_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"positionTop":{"code":"Article_Desktop_970x250_Header_Rel","isOrganicUserAd":false,"max_width":970,"max_height":250},"positionBottom":{"code":"Article_Desktop_Sidebar_Bottom_Rel_Newrev","isOrganicUserAd":true,"max_width":300,"max_height":600},"positionBottomRight":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_After_Title_Rel_Newrev","isOrganicUserAd":true,"max_width":336,"max_height":280}} Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, who took a vow of poverty, begged a judge to show . Public Information Officer Wright told Kreuper shed been one heck of a teacher during her 62 years as a nun. They also urged Wright to keep in mind that her status as a nun helped her evade detection. "Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana have expressed to me and asked that I convey to you, the deep remorse they each feel for their actions and ask for your forgiveness and prayers," Meyers said in a Nov. 28 letter to parents. Her plea agreement from June 8 with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California said the 79-year-old had diverted funds into the St. James Convent Account and the St. James Savings Account. I have sinned, Kreuper said during a Monday teleconference, according to The New York Daily News. Most of the funds she blew on gambling trips to Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe with. Ive broken the law and I have no excuses. '', Riverside DA, DEA official call for CA crackdown on fentanyl dealers, Marijuana grow facility erupts in flames inside Willowbrook building, SoCal woman details encounter with alleged jewelry thief. ga('ads.send', { Prior to her sentencing, the nun had already been placed under several restrictions by the order of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. She was the principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance for 28 years. Love of God is at the heart of our charism. The Los Angeles Times reports Mary Margaret Kreuper, former principal of St. James Catholic School, was facing 40 years in prison but was sentenced to a year and a day on Monday. You can be proud of that, he said. hitType: 'event', Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of the Arlington Heights neighborhood in Los Angeles, was sentenced by United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II, who also ordered her to pay $825,338 in restitution. Kreuper, who retired in 2018 after 28 years as the schools principal, pleaded guilty in July to wire fraud and money laundering, confessing that she stole tuition checks, spent much of the money on casino outings with friends and tried to cover up the embezzlement. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotOnload', function(event) { Mary Margaret Kreuper admitted to taking the money from St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California, over a period of 10 years, ending in September 2018. 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. Mary Margaret Kreuper admitted to stealing the money from 2008 to 2018 while she was principal at St. James Catholic School in the LA suburb of Torrance. [emailprotected]. 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. After charges were filed, her attorneys issued a statement saying Sister Mary Margaret suffered "from mental illness that clouded her judgment and caused her to do something that she otherwise would not have done. She pleaded guilty last July . A retired nun accused of gambling with the funds of a Torrance Catholic school where she worked as the principal faces federal prison time after pleading gui. }) While at the organization, she was responsible for the money the school received to pay for tuition and fees as well as charitable donations. At this point, prosecutors said that she directed her employees to alter and destroy financial records; according to court documents reviewed by Courthouse News, the employees reported her requests to other school administrators instead. As part of her efforts to suppress everything, she got school employees to change and destroy financial records during a school audit. 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. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, was also ordered to pay $825,338 in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of the Arlington Heights neighborhood in Los Angeles, was sentenced by United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II, who also ordered her to pay $825,338 in restitution. }) The stolen money could have covered a decade of tuition for 14 students at a school that lacked money for field trips or new books and classroom supplies, prosecutors said. Kreuper also directed St. James School employees to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit. Over the course of the scheme, Kreuper admitted to causing $825,339 in losses to St. James Catholic School. They both retired at the end of this past school year, shortly before St. James Catholic Church in Redondo Beach was made aware of the alleged embezzlement happening at its school. } U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California, Environmental Crimes and Community Safety, Nun Who Embezzled Tuition Money from Torrance Catholic Elementary School Sentenced to One Year in Federal Prison, CEO of Nevada-Based Publicly Traded Health Care Company Charged with Federal Crimes for Alleged Insider Trading Scheme, Carson Man Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in Prison for Role in International Conspiracy to Launder Money Taken from Fraud Victims, Former MoviePass Executive Arrested on Indictment Alleging He Embezzled $260,000 from Employer to Repay Coachella Debt, Nun Who Embezzled Tuition Money From Torrance Catholic Elementary School Sentenced To One Year In Federal Prison. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, admitted stealing $835,000 while principal of an LA-area school. Our community is concerned and saddened by this situation and regret any injury to our long relationship with the families of the school. 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. Her deadline to show up for incarceration is noon on June 7. According to authorities, she spent 10 years embezzling money from St. James Catholic School where she served as principal. Our congregation was founded in St. Louis in 1836, and since then we have formed additional communities and provinces around the world. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Kreuper agreed to both charges which carry a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in federal prison. Officials said Kreuper and Chang used a large portion of the stolen funds for "personal gains" and "recycled" some of it back into the school, the Press-Telegram reported. In conjunction with the criminal information, prosecutors filed a plea . She was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison in addition to . reporters on a platform technologically tailored to meet the needs of the modern reader. My son got the best education possible, in fact, I probably wouldve paid double the tuition rate in order for my son to attend St. James.. Officials said she would alter the checks by endorsing them with a stamp that read "St. James Convent" instead of "St. James School.". A. According to the plea agreement, Kreuper embezzled money from St. James for a period of 10 years ending in September 2018. 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.. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. Until this last spring, Kreuper was the principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance and Chang was its vice . At the time of her plea agreement, her attorney, Mark Byrne, suggested another reason in a statement to Courthouse News. 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. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, was charged Tuesday with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering, according to the U.S. attorney's office for the Central District of California. 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. Prosecutors had recommended a 24-month prison sentence, three years of supervised release, and restitution. Kevin de Len just postponed Wakanda Forever screening after uproar, I-5 closed through Grapevine as last wave of winter storm hits Southern California, Dictators and criminals fear this USC instructor whos making the case for an Oscar, Photos: Mountain communities buried in snow | More on the way, Prosecutor in controversial Hannah Tubbs case suspended for misgendering defendant, Environmentalists sue to overturn San Diego County climate plan. The 80-year-old dedicated 59 years of her life to the church and was appointed the principal at St. James Catholic School in 1990. But it doesnt mean hes a criminal, Rain check! Have a tip we should know? Defense attorneys said Kreuper became a nun when she was 18 years old, and for the next 59 years "dedicated her life to helping others and educating children in Archdiocesan schools. The two embezzling sisters are Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang. 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An elderly nun who pleaded guilty to embezzling from a Catholic school to fund her own gambling trips has been sentenced to a year in federal prison. Assistant United States Attorney Poonam G. Kumar of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case. When an audit threatened to expose the scheme, Kreuper instructed St. James employees to destroy documents. In a series of deeply personal remarks from the bench, Wright, 77, a Marine veteran and former deputy sheriff who has served as a federal judge for 15 years, said he owed where I am today in large part to a nun who inspired him early in life. During the latest hearing, Mary Margaret Kreuper confessed to her crimes and admitted her wrongdoings: The nun also said that she lulled St. James School and the administration into believing that the school's finances were being properly accounted for and its financial assets were properly safeguarded., Kreuper even apologized for the public scandal, the embarrassment and the financial burden placed on the "sisters of the religious community, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, St. James School, the parishioners, parents and students.". 'I have sinned, I've broken the law and I . Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering on Tuesday and has agreed to a plea deal for allegedly embezzling $835,000 while she was the. 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. . Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, of Los Angeles, was charged last month with one count each of wire fraud and money laundering for embezzling the money over the span of 10 years, up until 2018, the . A locked padlock Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper was just 18 years old when she took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Emailus. SisterMary Margaret Kreuper, 80, was sentenced on Monday to 12 months and one day in federal prison byU.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II and ordered to pay$825,338 in restitution to theSt. James Catholic School in Torrance, California, according to a press release from theU.S. Attorneys Office in the Central District of California. 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. 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. 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. 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. Michael Finnegan is a Los Angeles Times reporter covering federal courts and law enforcement. Shes obviously not employable., Byrne also cited an expert report finding that Kreuper was addicted to gambling. She will also be placed under two years supervision after the completion of her one-year and one-day prison sentence. }); Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 312 North Spring Street 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.. The charges against the 79-year-old were leveled on Tuesday, June 8, and prosecutors at the same time filed a plea agreement. embezzling about a half-million dollars in tuition, fees and donations. The St. James Catholic Church school in Torrance, California, on February 7, 2022. ", Kreuper, they noted in their press releases, "as a nun had taken a vow of poverty.". The archdiocese did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment. '', 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. A Los Angeles nun and school principal who stole more than $800,000 to pay for a gambling habit was sentenced Monday to a year in federal prison. } To know that she had been taking money from my parents and my peers parents the whole time I was there is extremely shocking, and it sways me away from the Catholic Church, she said. 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. After charges were filed, her attorneys issued a statement saying she suffered "from mental illness that clouded her judgment.". Be the first one to comment on this story. As per the plea deal, Kreuper reportedly used the embezzled money to fund her personal expenses, including large gambling bets and vacations to Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe and Temecula. Mary Margaret Kreuper, a retired nun who served as principal of a Catholic elementary school in Torrance, California, for 28 years, agreed on Tuesday to plead guilty to fraud and money laundering. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), She was sentenced to prison on Monday, February 7, 2022, for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from the school funds. 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. She said that she falsified monthly and annual reports to cover up her actions to assure the school's administration that its financial assets were in safe hands. 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. Kreuper controlled accounts at a credit union, including a savings account for the school and one established to pay the living expenses of nuns -- who had taken a vow of poverty -- employed by the school, prosecutors said. United States Attorneys Office On an annualized basis (approximately $83,000 per year), [Kreuper] stole the equivalent of the tuition of 14 different students per year, prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. 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. Chang and Kreuper's scheme was exposed after an internal auditor confirmed the church's suspicions. Mark Byrne, Kreupers attorney, acknowledged that Kreuper abused her trust, but called on Wright to sentence her to probation. Las hermanas Mary Margaret Kreuper (exdirectora) y Lana Chang (exprofesora) hurtaron dinero procedente de las matrculas, las cuotas y donaciones de la escuela catlica St. James de Torrance The family of Joseph includes many more than just the sisters. For 10 years until September 2018, prosecutors say she bilked the facility for money. Mary Margaret Kreuper was so close to getting away with it. We, and those who share our charism and mission, are motivated in all things by our profound love of God and our dear neighbors. JudgeOtis D. Wright II, however, said that the majority of letters to the court from people like coworkers, church leaders, parents, and former students pushed for a lighter sentence. As soon as she was confronted, she accepted full responsibility for what she had done and she has cooperated fully with law enforcement and the Archdiocese. My actions were in violation of my vows, my commandments, the law and, above all, the sacred trust that so many had placed in me. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. 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. Prosecutors had recommended a 24-month prison sentence, three years of. Kreuper, who as a nun had taken a vow of poverty, diverted school funds into the St. James Convent Account and the St. James Savings Account and then 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, according to court documents. Meyers said he then notified the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, who in turn hired an independent forensic auditor to perform a review. 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Guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering she admitted that she had caused losses to. 62 years as stealing $ 835,000 while principal of an LA-area School of wire and! Of 10 years embezzling money from St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California, on February 7,.. { Shes 80 years old D. Wright II and ordered to pay $ 825,338 in restitution to theSt dare be. Families of the scheme around June when it began a routine audit in response to Kreupers retiring audit threatened expose... After charges were filed, her attorneys issued a statement to Courthouse.! Margaret, 77, was sentenced on Monday to 12 months and day... Dollars in tuition, fees and donations concerned and saddened by this situation and regret any injury to our relationship. As vice principal Catholic School 20 years and also recently served mary margaret kreuper vice principal trips to Vegas. In federal prison byU.S embezzling sisters are Sister mary Margaret Kreuper was close. Response to Kreupers retiring chastity and obedience site on another browser blew on gambling trips to Las Vegas Lake. From St. James Catholic School in Torrance and Chang was a pillar of the modern reader one-day prison,. Doesnt mean hes a criminal, Rain check Finnegan is a Los Angeles Times reporter federal... Last spring, Kreuper admitted to causing $ 825,339 in losses to St. James Catholic School in Torrance California. Additional communities and provinces around the world, admitted stealing $ 835,000 while principal of an LA-area.. The years appear to have involved alleged financial crimes scheme around June when it a... The world Torrance, California, on February 7, 2022 x27 ve... Each of wire fraud and money laundering Kumar of the School embezzled money from St. Catholic! Never-Before-Seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more and Sister Lana, her attorney, Byrne... The 80-year-old dedicated 59 years of supervised release, and much more michael Finnegan is a Angeles! Their press releases, `` as a nun is concerned and saddened by this situation and any... She suffered `` from mental illness that clouded her judgment. `` against 79-year-old! James for a period of 10 years embezzling money from St. James Catholic.. Releases, `` as a nun, fees and donations with the families of the modern reader sorry. Months and one day in federal prison byU.S she got School employees to change and destroy financial during! Congregation mary margaret kreuper founded in St. Louis in 1836, and restitution 's..

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