Ciaran McEvoy But somewhere along the line, you just ran completely off the road, and I think you understand that. 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. 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. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. 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. 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. Police will, however, still follow the case and present their findings to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. Kreuper's crimes occurred during her role as the school's principal, a position from which she retired in 2018. The family of Joseph includes many more than just the sisters. Who is Mary Margaret Kreuper? Wright told Kreuper shed been one heck of a teacher during her 62 years as a nun. Now Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, is set to spend a year and a day in prison followed by two years of supervised release. An official website of the United States government. Prior to her sentencing, the nun had already been placed under several restrictions by the order of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. They also urged Wright to keep in mind that her status as a nun helped her evade detection. The total losses Kreuper caused to St. James Catholic School were $835,339. Mary Margaret Kreuper, of Los Angeles, was the principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance for 28 years. Kreuper acknowledged that for a period of 10 years ending in September 2018, she embezzled $835,339 from St. James Catholic School. 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. "I don't have to worry about b.s. Kreuper promised to follow more closely in Christs footsteps and spend the rest of her life trying to make amends. 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. In July, she pleaded guilty to one count each of. We pray that in time those impacted will find healing and the seeds of forgiveness. 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. 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. These also include her gambling trips, revealed federal prosecutors. 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. Retired nun Mary Margaret Kreuper, admitted to stealing money from St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, of Los Angeles, was sentenced Monday to one year and one day for fraud and money laundering charges. However, the nun started diverting the money into secret accounts in 2008 to fund her gambling habits and personal credit card charges. eventAction: 'click_image_ads' Let us pray for our school families and for Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana," he added. document.querySelector("#ads").addEventListener('click',function(){ We do know that they had a pattern of going on trips. 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. 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}} 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. He is a priest in the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and a former president of the Canadian Canon Law Society. I was wrong and Im profoundly sorry for the pain and suffering Ive caused so many people.. She diverted tuition to a secret account, which she used to fund casino trips, prosecutors said. }); pg.acq.push(function() { According to legal documents, Kreuper embezzled money from the school over a period of 10 years ending in September 2018. document.querySelector("#adunit").addEventListener('click',function(){ 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. By Colin Groundwater June 9, 2021 Two summers ago, Sean Flynn reported a wild story for GQ about two very. The 80-year-old nun also was ordered to pay a total of. Our community is concerned and saddened by this situation and regret any injury to our long relationship with the families of the school. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Mary Margaret Kreuper was so close to getting away with it. Lock 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. 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. 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. She was sentenced to prison on Monday, February 7, 2022, for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from the school funds. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. The embezzlement helped to fuel her gambling habit. In conjunction with the criminal information, prosecutors filed a plea . Kreuper had recently retired, which automatically triggered an audit that found irregularities, . Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Chang and Kreuper's scheme was exposed after an internal auditor confirmed the church's suspicions. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. 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. 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. 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. "They were just such staunch defenders of moral fortitude, they were really tough on the kids," she said. ga('ads.send', { } 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. I couldnt help think this is harsher than Club Fed, he said, using a nickname for low-security federal prisons, where conditions are far less harsh than at other lock-ups. },false) 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. According to The New York Post, for the past three and a half years, Kreuper has been under house arrest. 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. Two Catholic school nuns accused of embezzling about a half-million dollars in tuition, fees and donations from a school allegedly used some of the money to gamble in Las Vegas, according to officials cited in a news report. The church was made aware of the scheme around June when it began a routine audit in response to Kreupers retiring. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Michael Finnegan is a Los Angeles Times reporter covering federal courts and law enforcement. "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. 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. if(document.querySelector("#ads")){ At the time of her plea agreement, her attorney, Mark Byrne, suggested another reason in a statement to Courthouse News. While at the organization, she was responsible for the money the school received to pay for tuition and fees as well as charitable donations. 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. For a period of 10 years ending in September 2018, Kreuper embezzled money from St. James Catholic School. '', 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. ", In a statement, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles said that: "The community of faith at St. James was shocked and saddened by these actions.". Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, was sentenced to one year and one day for fraud and money laundering. When an audit threatened to expose the scheme, Kreuper instructed St. James employees to destroy documents. 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. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet are a congregation of Catholic sisters. Though the statutory maximum on those two charges was 40 years, prosecutors asked that she serve two, according to Courthouse News, and the judge in the case sentenced the senior citizen to just 12 months. 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. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, was charged Tuesday with wire fraud and money laundering for ripping off St. James Catholic School for a period of 10 years ending in September 2018, according to . She admitted that she had caused losses amounting to $835,000 to St James Catholic School. A lock ( 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. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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. Until this last spring, Kreuper was the principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance and Chang was its vice . ciaran.mcevoy@usdoj.gov Over the course of the scheme, Kreuper admitted to causing $825,339 in losses to St. James Catholic School. ga('ads.send', { The charges carry up to 40. He settled on one year and a day in prison. Her deadline to show up for incarceration is noon on June 7. Notifications can be turned off anytime from browser settings. After charges were filed, her attorneys issued a statement saying she suffered "from mental illness that clouded her judgment.". ", Kreuper, they noted in their press releases, "as a nun had taken a vow of poverty.". 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. We are one of the worlds fastest growing Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, first made headlines in 2018 after she and another nun were found to have taken as much as $500,000 to finance gambling trips to Las Vegas . Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Sister Mary Margaret, 77, was a pillar of the community who spent 29 years as the principal of St. James Catholic School. The two embezzling sisters are Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang. Have a tip or story idea? Officials with the archdiocese alleged the nuns spent some of the money on personal trips and gambling, the Press-Telegram reported. Wright also said that as someone who had been educated by nuns, "unlike most cases, this one will be a struggle.". For three years, Byrne told the judge, the nuns in her order have kept her under severe restrictions at a convent. ga('ads.send', { The archdiocese did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment. 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. pg.acq.push(function() { pg.acq.push(function() { Put simply, anyone who stole over $800,000 from a school would go to prison, your honor, Assistant U.S. Atty. 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. 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. LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) Mary Margaret Kreuper, a now-retired nun who was the principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance, has agreed to plead guilty to fraud and money laundering charges for stealing more than $835,000 in school funds to pay for personal expenses, including gambling trips, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. We are a congregation of Catholic sisters tracing our origins to France in 1650, who strive to share the great love of God with our dear neighbors today. Kreuper was principal at the school for 29 years. ga('ads.send', { 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. "We. 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. 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. Be the first one to comment on this story. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, admitted stealing $835,000 while principal of an LA-area school. 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. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, of Los Angeles, will plead guilty on July 22 to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), In her plea agreement, they noted that she used the money "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. We, and those who share our charism and mission, are motivated in all things by our profound love of God and our dear neighbors. But this week, prosecutors said Sister Mary Margaret, 79, had agreed to plead guilty to stealing more than $835,000. 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, 80, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. This is not an excuse for what she did, he said. For 10 years until September 2018, prosecutors say she bilked the facility for money. 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. 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". Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admits to stealing over $835k from a Catholic School. 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. A nun is pictured at Vatican's Gregorian University. A locked padlock By Megan Carpentier The St. James Catholic Church school in Torrance, California, on February 7, 2022. These funds were intended to further the students education, not fund [Kreupers] lifestyle. 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. In the spring of 2014, Kristen Biel had just been diagnosed with breast cancer and needed time off from her teaching job at St. The investigation into this matter is being conducted by the Torrance Police Department, the FBI, and IRS Criminal Investigation. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Sisters of St. Joseph of CarondeletFebruary 7, 2022February 14, 2022. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Despite her vow of poverty, a California nun embezzled funds from the Roman Catholic school she ran in order to fund her gambling habit, according to federal prosecutors. 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. 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. In court papers it was . However, her arrangement came to light following a 2018 financial review after her retirement. 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 window.googletag.cmd.push(function() { (213) 894-4465. The charges carry up to 40 years . / KCAL News. ", 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. 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. He previously covered state and national politics, including the 2020 presidential campaign. "Unfortunately . Most of the funds she blew on gambling trips to Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe with. Mary Margaret Kreuper, retired nun, pleads guilty to stealing more than $830,000 from St. James Catholic School - The Washington Post This article was published more than 1 year ago Morning Mix. 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. 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.