eventAction: 'render' A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. A nun who stole $835,000 from the Catholic primary school where she served as principal for 28 years, was sentenced Monday to a year in federal prison. eventAction: 'load' Shes 80 years old. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of . if(document.querySelector("#google_image_div")){ Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. This is merely an explanation.. hitType: 'event', 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. These funds were intended to further the students education, not fund [Kreupers] lifestyle. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. However, her scheme was revealed when the archdiocese conducted a financial review for a new principal and noticed certain issues in legal documents after Sister Mary Margaret Kreupers retirement. I was wrong, and I am profoundly sorry for the pain and the suffering that I have caused so many people, she told Wright. } As part of her role as the head of the institution, Kreuper oversaw all funds the school received for tuition fees and charitable donations. We, and those who share our charism and mission, are motivated in all things by our profound love of God and our dear neighbors. He is a priest in the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and a former president of the Canadian Canon Law Society. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper was just 18 years old when she took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. She was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison in addition to . 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.. She also controlled accounts at a credit union, including a savings account for the school and one used to pay for the living expenses of the nuns employed by the school. 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. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, is seen in this undated photo. "Unfortunately, later in her life she has been suffering from a mental illness that clouded her judgment and caused her to do something that she otherwise would not have done. Mary Margaret Kreuper was so close to getting away with it. pg.acq.push(function() { For three years, Byrne told the judge, the nuns in her order have kept her under severe restrictions at a convent. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. 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. Since our first sisters gathered in 1650, our members have been called to do all things of which women are capable. Today, we commit to respond boldly to injustice and dare to be prophetic. 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. hitType: 'event', 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. Kreuper promised to follow more closely in Christs footsteps and spend the rest of her life trying to make amends. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Shes obviously not employable., Byrne also cited an expert report finding that Kreuper was addicted to gambling. eventAction: 'click_adunit' 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". Assistant United States Attorney Poonam G Kumar of the Major Frauds Section is prosecuting the case. Kreuper agreed to both 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.". Check out an array of spirituality resources. "Unfortunately . Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering in July 2021 and has agreed to a plea deal for allegedly embezzling $835,000 while she was. 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. Today, she has been held accountable by the United States criminal justice system. The embezzlement helped to fuel her gambling habit. Kreuper pleaded guilty in July 2021 to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Some parents at her hearing said their children felt betrayed by her decision to take their tuition money. MEAWW brings you the best content from its global team of Kreuper falsified monthly and annual reports to the school administration to cover up her fraudulent conduct and 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, according to court documents. Now hes under review, Blizzard conditions close major highways and roads in Lake Tahoe area, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Dramatic before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Yet more rain expected to hit California in March. And I don't look at nuns as ordinary people. }); }); Secure .gov websites use HTTPS At the time of her plea agreement, her attorney, Mark Byrne, suggested another reason in a statement to Courthouse News. ", The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet to which the Chang and Kreuper belonged to had released a statement after their scheme came to light in 2018. Our community is concerned and saddened by this situation and regret any injury to our long relationship with the families of the school. As far as parent Kevin Kearnswas concerned, there were no hard feelings about the embezzlement. hitType: 'event', St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California. Put simply, anyone who stole over $800,000 from a school would go to prison, your honor, Assistant U.S. Atty. Kreuper also falsified the school's monthly and yearly financial reports to hide her embezzlement and, when questioned by parents about the school's resources, told them "there was no money for an awning at school and no money for field trips," prosecutors said. 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. "She became a nun when she was 18 years old, and for the next 59 years she dedicated her life to helping others and educating children in Archdiocesan schools," he stated. A locked padlock Margaret Mary Kreuper has pled guilty to embezzling $835,000 from St. James Catholic School to fund gambling trips and personal expenses (St. James Catholic Church) Who is Mary Margaret Kreuper? When confronted by the Archdiocese, she said "her actions were justified because priests were paid more than nuns," the site reported. ga('ads.send', { . According to authorities, she spent 10 years embezzling money from St. James Catholic School where she served as principal. eventAction: 'view' ga('ads.send', { LOS ANGELES A nun who was the principal of a Catholic elementary school in Torrance was sentenced today to 12 months and one day in federal prison for stealing more than $835,000 in school funds to pay for personal expenses, including gambling trips. Minyvonne Burkeis a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News. Retired nun Mary Margaret Kreuper, admitted to stealing money from St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California. 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. "They and their Order pray that you have not lost trust or faith in the educators and administrators of the school. But Phil Rhilinger, who with his wife, Debby, sent five kids to St. James, called on Wright to impose the maximum sentence up to 20 years for each of the two crimes. You can be proud of that, he said. 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. The retired principal of a Catholic elementary school in Torrance who embezzled more than $835,000 in school funds to support a gambling habit was sentenced to one year in prison on Monday. 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. 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. Prosecutors say that Kreuper who served as the principal of St. James' school for 28 years prior to her 2018 arrest began embezzling money from the school in 2008 when she was around 66 years old. Most of the funds she blew on gambling trips to Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe with. Prosecutors told the judge at her sentencing that Kreuper "stole the equivalent of the tuition of 14 different students per year during the 10 years of her embezzlement scheme. The 79-year-old Los Angeles resident was charged Tuesday with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, entered her plea to wire fraud and money laundering charges, which together carry a total of up to 40 years in federal prison. The 80-year-old nun also was ordered to pay a total of. 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. }) (CBSLA). We also deeply value relationships. 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. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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. We need to send a message that embezzling and betraying is not OK no matter who you are, no matter what your age or circumstance, Rhilinger told the judge. (213) 894-4465. Public Information Officer 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. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, admitted to stealing the funds while she was principal at St. James Catholic School from 2008 to 2018. After reviewing all the letters, Wright said, it appeared most families had forgiven Kreuper. reporters on a platform technologically tailored to meet the needs of the modern reader. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. 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.. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function(event) { [emailprotected]. The now-retired nun, Mary Margaret Kreuper,. 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.. An 80-year-old nun who admitted stealing $835,000 from a Torrance elementary school asked a federal judge on Monday to show mercy and spare her from prison. On Monday night, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles told parents and alumni at a meeting that Sisters Mary Margaret Kreuper and Lana Chang, described as best friends, took around $500,000 from St. James Catholic School in Torrance, according to an audio recording of the meeting obtained by the Press-Telegram. She is very sorry for any harm she has caused.". At least I hope you do.. media-tech companies with hubs around the world. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Officials said she would alter the checks by endorsing them with a stamp that read "St. James Convent" instead of "St. James School.". Since our first sisters gathered in 1650, our members have been called to do all things of which women are capable. The first sisters of our congregation arrived in St. Louis, Missouri in 1836, and we now have additional locations in St. Paul, Albany, Los Angeles, Hawaii, Japan and Peru. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Kreuper was part of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet order, which Newsweek has contacted for comment. 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. Mark Byrne, Kreupers attorney, acknowledged that Kreuper abused her trust, but called on Wright to sentence her to probation. They also urged Wright to keep in mind that her status as a nun helped her evade detection. She pleaded guilty last July to one count . Notifications can be turned off anytime from browser settings. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, of Los Angeles, was charged Tuesday with one count each of wire fraud and money laundering. Kreuper controlled accounts at a credit union, including a savings account for the school and one established to pay the . Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, who took a vow of poverty, begged a judge to show . Please logout and login again. According to Press-Telegram, the embezzlement scandal also involves Sister Lana Chang who taught eighth-grade students at the elementary school came to light after a routine audit of procedures that were conducted ahead of Kreuper's retirement. She has agreed to plead guilty to the charges for embezzling more than $835,000 from the funds of St. James Catholic School where she served as principal a couple of years ago, to pay for her personal expenses. , of Los Angeles, was charged Tuesday with one count of fraud. All things of which women are capable or https: // means youve connected! Community is concerned and saddened by this situation and regret any injury to our long relationship the. The letters, Wright said, it appeared most families had forgiven Kreuper which! 79-Year-Old Los Angeles, was charged Tuesday with one count each of wire fraud and money laundering of life... Former president of the modern reader years of her life trying to make amends, guilty! 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