Prior to her sentencing, the nun had already been placed under several restrictions by the order of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. 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? Kreupers attorneys Mark A. Byrne and Daniel V. Nixon told The Washington Post that the nun took responsibility for her actions right after she was confronted by the L.A. archdiocese. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, admitted stealing $835,000 while principal of an LA-area school. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, of Los Angeles, was sentenced Monday to one year and one day for fraud and money laundering charges. 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. She admitted that she had caused losses amounting to $835,000 to St James Catholic School. Kreuper is also accused of directing St. James employees to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit. 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. As the school's principal, she was responsible for managing money received by the. Love of God is at the heart of our charism. ", Baby Mia Jade Riley: Parents Lani and Tom Riley speak out after dog attack killed their 5-week-old infant, Kyle Sambrook: Hiker falls 100ft to death while carrying his dog in one hand through 'appalling' weather, Bruce Willis's mom Marlene 'not sure if her son still recognizes her' as 'aggressiveness' creeps in, Julia Faustyna: 21-yr-old girl who claims to be Madeleine McCann admits to making 'pornographic videos' in past, Killer mom Lindsay Clancy was suffering from drug withdrawal and had 'worst side effects,' says friend. Kreuper has paid back $10,000 of what she owes, according to The Long Beach Press-Telegram. In their letters [to the court], several students and parents commented on how the school was lacking in resourcesAnother parent discussed [in a letter to the court] how [Kreuper] said there was no money for an awning at school and no money for field trips.. "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. The now-retired nun, Mary Margaret Kreuper,. Sisters of St. Joseph of CarondeletFebruary 7, 2022February 14, 2022. 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. media-tech companies with hubs around the world. let gads_event; Shes obviously not employable., Byrne also cited an expert report finding that Kreuper was addicted to gambling. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. }); 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.. 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. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Check out an array of spirituality resources. The embezzlement helped to fuel her gambling habit. Parent and former school secretaryCheryl Hugo reportedly called Kreupers actions an abuse of power in every possible way.. The nun has also been asked to pay a total of $825,338 in restitution to St. James Catholic School. Mary Margaret Kreuper was the principal of the elementary school for 28 years. 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.. 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 . She pleaded guilty last July . Kreuper, as a nun, had taken a vow of poverty and diverted school funds into the St. James Convent Account and the St. James Savings Account. We, and those who share our charism and mission. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper is an 80-year-old nun from Torrance and a former principal of St. James Catholic School. . In conjunction with the criminal information, prosecutors filed a plea agreement in which Kreuper agreed to plead guilty to the two charges that carry a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in federal prison. We do know that they had a pattern of going on trips. Explore the variety of ways to be a part of our community. I have sinned, Kreuper said during a Monday teleconference, according to The New York Daily News. The systems that were set up were dividing people, so nobody knew what was happening, he said at the meeting. Author of the article: } Prosecutors filed federal wire fraud and money laundering charges against Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, for stealing more than $835,000 in school funds to pay for personal expenses, including gambling trips, the Justice Department said. Suite 1200 Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Retired nun Mary Margaret Kreuper, admitted to stealing money from St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California. if(document.querySelector("#google_image_div")){ Earlier in January this year, former president Donald Trump pardoned Steve Bannon who was facing a federal case when he was charged with defrauding donors of more than a million dollars as part of a fundraising campaign to build the US-Mexico border wall. 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. A. These included: "Large gambling expenses incurred at casinos and certain credit card charges.". 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. 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. 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. You can be proud of that, he said. Kreuper controlled accounts at a credit union, including a savings account for the school and one established to pay the living expenses of the nuns employed by the school. 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. https://t.co/sk6S5pmKk7, She used the money "to pay for expenses that the order would not have approved, much less paid for." Kreuper pleaded guilty in July 2021 to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Copyright 2023 by City News Service, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. 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. Sister Mary Margaret, 77, was a pillar of the community who spent 29 years as the principal of St. James Catholic School. ", 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.". 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. "I don't have to worry about b.s. 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. First published on June 8, 2021 / 8:30 PM. 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 took responsibility for her actions by pleading guilty. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. 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. But. 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. I dont feel that Im a victim in this case, he said. 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. She was the principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance for 28 years. They also urged Wright to keep in mind that her status as a nun helped her evade detection. She was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison in addition to . At least I hope you do.. Ive broken the law and I have no excuses. "The Sisters have confirmed the misappropriation of funds and have cooperated in the investigation. } She called her crimes a violation of my vows, the commandments, the law, and above all the sacred trust that so many had placed in me.. 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 . The family of Joseph includes many more than just the sisters. Now Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, is set to spend a year and a day in prison followed by two years of supervised release. Central District of California (Los Angeles) eventAction: 'click_ads' "They and their Order pray that you have not lost trust or faith in the educators and administrators of the school. Prosecutors had recommended a 24-month prison sentence, three years of supervised release, and restitution. Urgent needs call us to bold conversation and prophetic action. Sister Lana, her 67-year-old accomplice, worked there for 20 years as. Now Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, is set to spend a year and a day in prison followed by two years of supervised release. Despite her nun's vow of poverty . 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. He is a priest in the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and a former president of the Canadian Canon Law Society. At the time of her plea agreement, her attorney, Mark Byrne, suggested another reason in a statement to Courthouse News. Chang and Kreuper's scheme was exposed after an internal auditor confirmed the church's suspicions. But somewhere along the line, you just ran completely off the road, and I think you understand that. As part of her efforts to suppress everything, she got school employees to change and destroy financial records during a school audit. 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. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. 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 When an audit threatened to expose the scheme, Kreuper instructed St. James employees to destroy documents. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, was sentenced to one year and one day for fraud and money laundering. In July, she pleaded guilty to one count each of. She pleaded guilty toone count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering in July 2021, according to prosecutors, as part of a plea deal. We, and those who share our charism and mission, are motivated in all things by our profound love of God and our dear neighbors. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, the retired principal of St. James Catholic School in California, has been sentenced to one year and a day in prison on charges of money laundering and federal wire fraud for embezzling nearly $835,000 from school funds. 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. Assistant United States Attorney Poonam G Kumar of the Major Frauds Section is prosecuting the case. ", In a statement, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles said that: "The community of faith at St. James was shocked and saddened by these actions.". As part of her role as the head of the institution, Kreuper oversaw all funds the school received for tuition fees and charitable donations. Church officials previously said they did not want to press criminal charges against the nuns. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, admitted to stealing the money from 2008 to 2018 while she was principal at St. James Catholic School in the LA suburb of Torrance. Or to keep it anonymous, click here. U.S. District Judge Otis D . We seek to build communities and bridge divides between people. }); 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. 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. Kreuper controlled accounts at a credit union, including a savings account for the school and one established to pay the living expenses of the nuns employed by the school, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement. She doesnt have anywhere to go, he said. ga('ads.send', { Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, who took a vow of poverty, begged a judge to show . 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. Put simply, anyone who stole over $800,000 from a school would go to prison, your honor, Assistant U.S. Atty. She pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges, which together carry a total of up to 40 years in federal prison. Notifications can be turned off anytime from browser settings. 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. Assistant US Attorney Poonam Kumar told The New York Post that Kreuper even asked parents to donate more money in addition to their $6,000 annual fees. In conjunction with the criminal information, prosecutors filed a plea . And I don't look at nuns as ordinary people. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, the retired principal of St. James Catholic School in California, has been sentenced to one year and a day in prison on charges of money laundering and federal wire. document.querySelector("#adunit").addEventListener('click',function(){ Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper had taken a vow of poverty A now-retired nun has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $800,000 from the St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California, from 2008 to 2018, the last decade of her 28-year tenure as principal of the institution.Sister Kreuper who took a vow of poverty confessed to using the . pg.acq.push(function() { Episodes and live TV statement to Courthouse News share our charism guilty to fraud... Kreuper is also accused of directing St. James Catholic school in Torrance California... Out an array of spirituality resources is prosecuting the case content, free digital evidence kits, restitution... 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