Assistant United States Attorney Poonam G. Kumar of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case. The school became aware of the alleged embezzlement in a routine audit when one of the nuns retired as the school's principal. 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 Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet are a congregation of Catholic sisters. 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. Emailus. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function(event) { 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. Until this last spring, Kreuper was the principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance and Chang was its vice . window.googletag.cmd.push(function() { 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 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. 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. MEAWW is an initialism for Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide. At about $83,000 a year, the amount matches the tuition of 14 students a year, prosecutors said. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. https://t.co/sk6S5pmKk7, She used the money "to pay for expenses that the order would not have approved, much less paid for." } 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. At least I hope you do.. However, her arrangement came to light following a 2018 financial review after her retirement. 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. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Despite her nun's vow of poverty . }); 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. }); She is very sorry for any harm she has caused.". Have a question about Government Services? 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. It said the parish, school and the Archdiocese: "Reported the matter and fully cooperated with authorities in the criminal investigation," adding: "We continue to offer our prayers for all impacted by this matter," CBS 9 reported. Kreuper pleaded guilty in July 2021 to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. 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. Mary Margaret Kreuper had been principal at St. James Catholic School, where Sr. Lana Chang had been a teacher. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison and ordered to pay $825,338 in restitution, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. According to authorities, she spent 10 years embezzling money from St. James Catholic School where she served as principal. For three years, Byrne told the judge, the nuns in her order have kept her under severe restrictions at a convent. }); 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. Sisters Mary Margaret Kreuper and Lana Chang, who belong to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, are suspected of embezzling a "substantial" amount of money from a Catholic school in. By Colin Groundwater June 9, 2021 Two summers ago, Sean Flynn reported a wild story for GQ about two very. When it was all over, she had been principal for a total of 28 years, they said. "They and their Order pray that you have not lost trust or faith in the educators and administrators of the school. According to the plea agreement, Kreuper embezzled money from St. James for a period of 10 years ending in September 2018. 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. 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.. 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. "They were just such staunch defenders of moral fortitude, they were really tough on the kids," she said. 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. 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. Mark Byrne, Kreupers attorney, acknowledged that Kreuper abused her trust, but called on Wright to sentence her to probation. The 79-year-old Los Angeles resident was charged Tuesday with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. 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. We seek to build communities and bridge divides between people. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), ", 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.". (Youtube/KCAL) Her deadline to show up for incarceration is noon on June 7. Have a tip we should know? Now Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, is set to spend a year and a day in prison followed by two years of supervised release. One former student said Kreuper violated her trust and contributed to her decision to leave the Catholic Church. These funds were intended to further the students education, not fund [Kreupers] lifestyle. 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. }); 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. Kreuper was sentenced to one year in prison Monday and told to pay back the money. 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. For 10 years until September 2018, prosecutors say she bilked the facility for money. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. ga('create', 'UA-67136960-15', 'auto', 'ads'); Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. He is a priest in the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and a former president of the Canadian Canon Law Society. 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. Wright told Kreuper shed been one heck of a teacher during her 62 years as a nun. Mary Margaret Kreuper was the principal of the elementary school for 28 years. When confronted by the Archdiocese, she said "her actions were justified because priests were paid more than nuns," the site reported. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotOnload', function(event) { Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Your login session has expired. 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. According to Meyers, Kreuper and Chang were able to get away with the alleged scheme for years because the school was profitable and the money the sisters took would have ended up in a reserve fund. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, admitted stealing $835,000 while principal of an LA-area school. }); LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Mary Margaret Kreuper, a now-retired nun and a Los Angeles resident was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering on Tuesday, June 8. (CBSLA). Central District of California (Los Angeles) ga('ads.send', { Official websites use .gov 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. 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.. Prosecutors had recommended a 24-month prison sentence, three years of supervised release, and restitution. As far as parent Kevin Kearnswas concerned, there were no hard feelings about the embezzlement. Retired nun Mary Margaret Kreuper, admitted to stealing money from St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California. 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. 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. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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. }) }) "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. 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. 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. 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. reporters on a platform technologically tailored to meet the needs of the modern reader. IE 11 is not supported. 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. Kreuper allegedly held on to some of the checks and deposited them into a separate bank account than the one used by the school. The embezzlement helped to fuel her gambling habit. 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 settled on one year and a day in prison. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admitted embezzling $835,000 from St James Catholic School in the LA suburb of Torrance. Mary Margaret Kreuper, of Los Angeles, was the principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance for 28 years. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, from Los Angeles faces up to 40 years in federal prison for embezzling funds for over 10 years from St. James Catholic School in Torrance.. Sisters Mary Margaret Kreuper and Lana Chang, who worked at St. James Catholic School in Torrance, allegedly embezzled half a million dollars and used it for trips and gambling. / KCAL News. She was the principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance for 28 years. 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. In private letters to Wright and remarks at the video hearing, some former St. James students asked him to put the nun behind bars. 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. 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. 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.. In the spring of 2014, Kristen Biel had just been diagnosed with breast cancer and needed time off from her teaching job at St. } 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 . coming from you," he said from the bench when she appeared in court on Thursday. hitType: 'event', Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper was just 18 years old when she took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. These included: "Large gambling expenses incurred at casinos and certain credit card charges.". Please logout and login again. },false) hitType: 'event', Copyright 2023 by City News Service, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. . 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. 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. She even attempted to destroy documents when an audit nearly exposed her arrangement. We do know that they had a pattern of going on trips. She was sentenced to prison on Monday, February 7, 2022, for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from the school funds. The charges against the 79-year-old were leveled on Tuesday, June 8, and prosecutors at the same time filed a plea agreement. Author of the article: Most of the funds she blew on gambling trips to Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe with. Sister Mary Margaret, 77, was a pillar of the community who spent 29 years as the principal of St. James Catholic School. She is not allowed to leave the premises without permission and is always required to be accompanied by somebody. But. U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II has set sentencing for February 7, 2022, when he would expect her to make a statement. Ciaran McEvoy Urgent needs call us to bold conversation and prophetic action. Sister Mary took responsibility for her actions by pleading guilty. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. 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. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper (CBS News) In a statement, the Archdiocese said they informed law enforcement of the misappropriated school funds after she announced her retirement in 2018. Sisters Mary Margaret Kreuper and Lana Chang, the former a former principal at St. James Catholic School in Torrance, Los Angeles County, confessed to stealing $500,000 from the school to fund . 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. 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.. hitType: 'event', 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. }); As the school's principal, she was responsible for managing money received by the. 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