As a Catholic nun, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper had taken a 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. "Unfortunately . Kreuper is also accused of directing St. James School employees to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit. 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. 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. Kreuper also directed St. James School employees to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit. 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. Officials with the archdiocese alleged the nuns spent some of the money on personal trips and gambling, the Press-Telegram reported. / KCAL News. The Sisters of St. Joseph both desire and intend to make complete restitution to St. James School. Our congregation was founded in St. Louis in 1836, and since then we have formed additional communities and provinces around the world. 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 . 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. 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. 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. I got exactly what I paid for. A lock ( You can be proud of that, he said. In a series of deeply personal remarks from the bench, Wright, 77, a Marine veteran and former deputy sheriff who has served as a federal judge for 15 years, said he owed where I am today in large part to a nun who inspired him early in life. Please logout and login again. 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. IE 11 is not supported. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! At the time of her plea agreement, her attorney, Mark Byrne, suggested another reason in a statement to Courthouse News. Shes obviously not employable., Byrne also cited an expert report finding that Kreuper was addicted to gambling. }) 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. '', Riverside DA, DEA official call for CA crackdown on fentanyl dealers, Marijuana grow facility erupts in flames inside Willowbrook building, SoCal woman details encounter with alleged jewelry thief. ga('ads.send', { Her deadline to show up for incarceration is noon on June 7. One former student said Kreuper violated her trust and contributed to her decision to leave the Catholic Church. California nun, 79, to admit to stealing $835K from school funds. Emailus. eventAction: 'load' Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. Be the first one to comment on this story. 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.. was part of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet order, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. 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.. For three years, Byrne told the judge, the nuns in her order have kept her under severe restrictions at a convent. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotOnload', function(event) { We pray that in time those impacted will find healing and the seeds of forgiveness. }); Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Shes 80 years old. I have sinned, Kreuper said during a Monday teleconference, according to The New York Daily News. ga('create', 'UA-67136960-15', 'auto', 'ads'); 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. A locked padlock eventAction: 'view' Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, admitted stealing $835,000 while principal of an LA-area school. Ive used this to teach my son that were all human, we all make mistakes, but the power of forgiveness is the most powerful tool that we have.. 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 . I have sinned, I have broken the law, and I have no excuses, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, the former principal of St. James Catholic School, told the judge. ciaran.mcevoy@usdoj.gov Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper was reportedly able to escape intervention from authorities for 10 years as she diverted tuition fees and other funds to old and secret bank accounts. Lock "I don't have to worry about b.s. }); The family of Joseph includes many more than just the sisters. I was wrong, and I am profoundly sorry for the pain and the suffering that I have caused so many people, she told Wright. 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. 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. 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. 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. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! She was sentenced to prison on Monday, February 7, 2022, for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from the school funds. 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. The judge said he was grappling with the possibility that conditions at the convent might be worse than prison. However, her arrangement came to light following a 2018 financial review after her retirement. The nun served as the principal of the elementary school for nearly 28 years until her retirement in 2018. 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. Assistant United States Attorney Poonam G. Kumar of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case. 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. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. At least I hope you do.. }); Kreuper is also accused of directing St. James employees to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. document.querySelector("#adunit").addEventListener('click',function(){ pg.acq.push(function() { ga('ads.send', { Kreuper was sentenced to one year in prison Monday and told to pay back the money. 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. 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 Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet are a congregation of Catholic sisters. 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. 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.". She said that she falsified monthly and annual reports to cover up her actions to assure the school's administration that its financial assets were in safe hands. hitType: 'event', Explore the variety of ways to be a part of our community. 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. 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. Myers said both the nuns had confessed to their crimes. Her crime came to light after her retirement was announced in 2018 and the archdiocese began an audit of the school's finances to prepare for its change in leadership. },false) "They were just such staunch defenders of moral fortitude, they were really tough on the kids," she said. After charges were filed, her attorneys issued a statement saying she suffered "from mental illness that clouded her judgment.". ga('ads.send', { 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. Kreuper agreed to both charges which carry a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in federal prison. 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.. 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}} Mary Margaret Kreuper was the principal of the elementary school for 28 years. 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. 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. Following Mondays hearing Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper was released under her own recognizance and is required to turn herself in to the Federal Bureau of Prisons by June 7, 2022. She diverted tuition to a secret account, which she used to fund casino trips, prosecutors said. The charges against the 79-year-old were leveled on Tuesday, June 8, and prosecutors at the same time filed a plea agreement. St. James Catholic School Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper embezzled $835,339 in the school's tuition, fees, and charitable donations for her personal expenses. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. Over the course of the scheme, Kreuper admitted to causing $825,339 in losses to St. James Catholic School. } Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, was sentenced to one year and one day for fraud and money laundering. Police will, however, still follow the case and present their findings to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper was just 18 years old when she took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. A. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, who took a vow of poverty, begged a judge to show . 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. }); ", Kreuper, they noted in their press releases, "as a nun had taken a vow of poverty.". 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. 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. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering on Tuesday and has agreed to a plea deal for allegedly embezzling $835,000 while she was the. Assistant United States Attorney Poonam G Kumar of the Major Frauds Section is prosecuting the case. The nun has also been asked to pay a total of $825,338 in restitution to St. James Catholic School. 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. pg.acq.push(function() { As far as parent Kevin Kearnswas concerned, there were no hard feelings about the embezzlement. hitType: 'event', Parent and former school secretaryCheryl Hugo reportedly called Kreupers actions an abuse of power in every possible way.. She was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison in addition to . A nun has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $835,000 in school funds, which she spent on gambling and other expenses. eventAction: 'click_image_ads' Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Los Angeles, California 90012. document.querySelector("#ads").addEventListener('click',function(){ For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. 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, 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. Monday teleconference, according to the New York Daily news 'ads.send ', Explore the of! Been asked to pay a total of $ 825,338 in restitution to St. James school to. A vow of poverty, chastity and obedience the United States Attorney Poonam G. Kumar of the Major Section! Also been asked to pay a total of $ 825,338 in restitution to St. James school. Byrne also cited an expert report finding that Kreuper was just 18 years old when she took vows poverty... 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