ga('ads.send', { One former student said Kreuper violated her trust and contributed to her decision to leave the Catholic Church. Now Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, is set to spend a year and a day in prison followed by two years of supervised release. 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. 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. They also urged Wright to keep in mind that her status as a nun helped her evade detection. A nun has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $835,000 in school funds, which she spent on gambling and other expenses. At about $83,000 a year, the amount matches the tuition of 14 students a year, prosecutors said. 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. 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.". Meyers also said at the meeting that Kreuper began displaying "very nervous and very anxious" behavior about the audit and allegedly asked staff to change records. 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.. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. "They and their Order pray that you have not lost trust or faith in the educators and administrators of the school. / KCAL News. Despite her nun's vow of poverty . Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, who took a vow of poverty, begged a judge to show . 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 By Colin Groundwater June 9, 2021 Two summers ago, Sean Flynn reported a wild story for GQ about two very. 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. 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. (CBSLA). Church officials previously said they did not want to press criminal charges against the nuns. Sisters of St. Joseph of CarondeletFebruary 7, 2022February 14, 2022. ", 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. ga('ads.send', { A. if(document.querySelector("#adunit")){ As part of her efforts to suppress everything, she got school employees to change and destroy financial records during a school audit. 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 controlled accounts at a credit union, including a savings account for the school and one established to pay the . Viveca Tokatlian, whose son is now a senior at the University of San Diego and was once student in Chang's eighth-grade class, said she was shocked and disappointed by the news. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 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. California nun, 79, to admit to stealing $835K from school funds. Kreuper was sentenced to one year in prison Monday and told to pay back the money. The lawyers also mentioned that the nun was suffering from a mental illness that clouded her judgment and caused her to do something that she otherwise would not have done. They noted that she was remorseful and very sorry for any harm she has caused., Attorney Kumar also shared that during her confrontation Kreuper mentioned that she embezzled money partly because she believed priests get paid better than nuns.. Shes obviously not employable., Byrne also cited an expert report finding that Kreuper was addicted to gambling. She doesnt have any money. You can be proud of that, he said. In the spring of 2014, Kristen Biel had just been diagnosed with breast cancer and needed time off from her teaching job at St. "Unfortunately . pg.acq.push(function() { Michael Finnegan is a Los Angeles Times reporter covering federal courts and law enforcement. '', 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. 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. I got exactly what I paid for. }); https://t.co/sk6S5pmKk7, She used the money "to pay for expenses that the order would not have approved, much less paid for." hitType: 'event', }); } [emailprotected]. Suite 1200 Kreuper pleaded guilty in July 2021 to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. St. James Catholic School Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper embezzled $835,339 in the school's tuition, fees, and charitable donations for her personal expenses. Kreuper agreed to both charges which carry a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in federal prison. 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. Officials said she would alter the checks by endorsing them with a stamp that read "St. James Convent" instead of "St. James School.". Bank records show Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang had been embezzling funds from St. James Catholic School in Torrance for at least a decade, the Press-Telegram reported. The 80-year-old nun also was ordered to pay a total of. She doesnt have anywhere to go, he said. gads_event = event; Ciaran McEvoy As a Catholic nun, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper had taken a vow of poverty. document.querySelector("#ads").addEventListener('click',function(){ Here are 10 you cant miss, Review: A reimagined Secret Garden fails to flower anew at the Ahmanson Theatre, Letters to the Editor: Trumps perfect call to Georgia was wrong. In private letters to Wright and remarks at the video hearing, some former St. James students asked him to put the nun behind bars. ", 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.". 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. Julija Garunkstis, who attended the small school of three stucco and red-brick buildings from 2005 to 2014, told the judge about the fear that Kreuper instilled in children when they misbehaved. 'I have sinned, I've broken the law and I . Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! (Youtube/KCAL) 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. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper was just 18 years old when she took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. ", Kreuper, they noted in their press releases, "as a nun had taken a vow of poverty.". Our community is concerned and saddened by this situation and regret any injury to our long relationship with the families of the school. 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, according to the US Attorney's Office, California. 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. She further admitted "lulling 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 allowed her to maintain access to the school's finances. "They were just such staunch defenders of moral fortitude, they were really tough on the kids," she said. 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. Wright also said that as someone who had been educated by nuns, "unlike most cases, this one will be a struggle.". 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. She diverted tuition to a secret account, which she used to fund casino trips, prosecutors said. However, the nun started diverting the money into secret accounts in 2008 to fund her gambling habits and personal credit card charges. ", 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. 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. }); 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.. Prior to her sentencing, the nun had already been placed under several restrictions by the order of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. 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. She was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison in addition to . Diverting embezzled funds into secret accounts, Kreuper used the money "to pay for expenses that the order would not have approved, much less paid for,'' including large gambling expenses and trips to Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe and Temecula, according to her plea agreement. ga('create', 'UA-67136960-15', 'auto', 'ads'); 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, Kreupers attorneys wrote. Kreuper had recently retired, which automatically triggered an audit that found irregularities, . According to the plea agreement, Kreuper embezzled money from St. James for a period of 10 years ending in September 2018. On screen in one of the Zoom windows were five fellow nuns from her order, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. She is very sorry for any harm she has caused.''. 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. Kreuper acknowledged that for a period of 10 years ending in September 2018, she embezzled $835,339 from St. James Catholic School. Not all of the years appear to have involved alleged financial crimes. 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? A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. 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. . Love of God is at the heart of our charism. 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. A lock ( 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. 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. She is very sorry for any harm she has caused.". 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. 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. reporters on a platform technologically tailored to meet the needs of the modern reader. 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. An official website of the United States government. }); Today, she has been held accountable by the United States criminal justice system. Kreuper also directed St. James School employees to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit. The 80-year old nun was ordered to pay $825,338.57 she embezzled while principal at St. James in Torrance, CA and spent gambling in Las Vegas. 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. Mary Margaret Kreuper was the principal of the elementary school for 28 years. He previously covered state and national politics, including the 2020 presidential campaign. According to authorities, she spent 10 years embezzling money from St. James Catholic School where she served as principal. The charges carry up to 40. For 10 years until September 2018, prosecutors say she bilked the facility for money. (213) 894-4465. 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. A nun is pictured at Vatican's Gregorian University. Online prison records do not yet show Kreuper in federal custody. 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