Let us pray for our school families and for Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana, the letter added. By signing up to the Blaze News newsletter you agree to receive electronic communications from Blaze Media that may sometimes include advertisements or sponsored content. It's just that you have to look and see what kind of function are they doing.". During the time period this was happening, she had no idea this was happening. 2022 Blaze Media LLC. Mr Kumar said that jealousy played a part, calling the episode "really an abuse of position of trust". However, around the same time, a family at the school asked for an old check they had written to St. James. We use cookies to better understand website visitors, for advertising, and to offer you a better experience. Local 10 News reported Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang of St.James Catholic School (both retiring earlier this year) using money from the school's funds to live a life of luxury over the last ten years. Investigators described a system in which Kreuper handled all checks made out to the school for tuition and fees before handing them over to bookkeeping staff for processing. A spokesperson with St. James did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Michael Meyers, the pastor at St. James Church. "Far from it. While claiming to live financially destitute like Jesus Christ is probably blasphemous, using the old Im poor, but my uncle is rich line and getting away with it speaks to Sister Mary Margarets impressive poker face. She wanted more than she had.. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, who was principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California, used the school funds to . This article was published more than1 year ago. The archdiocese of Los Angeles said in statement that the community of faith at St James was shocked and saddened by these actions and expressed gratitude to local and federal law enforcement agencies for their work in the investigation of this matter. One article quoted a church accountant as ball-parking the amount at $500,000. BroBible is the #1 place on the internet for the very best content from the worlds of sports, culture, gear, high tech, and more. Kreuper was 18 years old when she took her vow of poverty, according to her lawyers, and spent the next 59 years of her life dedicated to the church. In these records you will find the most recent and the most authoritative articles on the topics, people and events that are shaping the . Kreuper, he said, quoting an expert, was addicted to gambling, adding that it "is not an excuse for what she did merely an explanation". Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, who worked as the school principal for 28 years, and Sister Lana Chang, a teacher at the school for 20 years, reportedly bilked the funds over a period of at least a decade, the Press-Telegram reported. Sister Kreuper who took a vow of poverty confessed to using the embezzled funds to pay for personal expenses, including her gambling habit. var znscr = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; Officials made the discovery in June after performing a routine audit following Kreupers retirement. Associate Editor at BroBible covering all five major sports and every niche sport imaginable, found primarily in the college space. 15 Episodes of Seinfeld That Teach Everything You Need To Know About Life. But this week, prosecutors said Sister Mary Margaret, 79, had agreed to plead guilty to stealing more than. Each of the counts carries a maximum sentence of 40 years behind bars. These nuns took a vow of poverty and said, oh no, weve got a rich uncle, one parent told the Press-Telegram. Maryland man, 52, sues bar over ban cause he was old Missouri daughter secretly donates kidney to ailing dad. 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. But as the archdiocese was completing its audit, it noticed something was off with the funding. Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana were both Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. The Greatest Food Debates Of All Time, Answered Pineapple On Pizza? They say she also instructed employees at the school to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit, investigators found. Church officials said they did not wish to press charges against the sisters, who both expressed remorse. When staff members finally found the check, they realized that it was not deposited in a St. James account, but a different bank account. As principal, Kreuper had been in charge of the school's credit union account, where she was meant to deposit cash and checks from tuition, fees and donations. James School, before tapping the funds for personal use. The scheme was uncovered during an audit after Kreuper retired in 2018. Shes very, very remorseful and very ashamed, he said. We do know that they had a pattern of going on trips, we do know they had a pattern of going to casinos, and the reality is, they used the account as their personal account, Marge Graf, an attorney representing St. James, told a group of parents at a meeting in 2018. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. Kreuper signed the plea agreement, which Snopes has obtained and which can be read in full here, on June 2, 2021. But she appreciates the outpouring of support shes received from people who have decided that rather to judge her on these actions toward the end of her career and life, theyve taken her whole life into consideration.. St. James teacher Lana Chang admitted along with Kreuper to the embezzlement in 2018, following each of their retirements earlier that year. This large chunk of stolen money came as the St. James Catholic School was operating under tight budgets with small concerns that the finances could not continue to keep the door open. Two nuns who formerly worked at St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California, confessed to embezzling at least $500,000 from the school so that they could gamble it away at Las Vegas casinos, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles said at a meeting with parents and alumni on Monday. According to prosecutors, Kreuper had stolen whats estimated to have been the tuition for 14 students at the K-8 school in funds that were intended to further the students education, not fund [Kreupers] lifestyle., When confronted, the defendant admitted to stealing the money, Kumar said. The church body in the case commissions teachers as ministers, but does not ordain them. After taking a vow of poverty, her excuse for lavish gambling expenses is hilarious. In her plea agreement, Sister Mary Margaret confirmed that the stolen money was used for credit card charges and large gambling expenses incurred at casinos. the U.S. attorneys office said. This is because, as part of the plea deal, the prosecutors have agreed to recommend to the court an "offense level" of 25 for Kreuper's crimes, and will further advise the court to reduce that to 23, or even 22. Nun who stole $835K from school to fund gambling habit is going to prison: I have sinned, Carolyn Hax: Boyfriends visits leave single mom with no time for herself, Miss Manners: What to do when a fellow diner was rude to server. But the court's eventual decision could reach beyond teachers, affecting the lives of millions of other employees who work for religiously affiliated institutions. There is another, and rather rich, twist to one of the cases before the court Monday. A federal appeals court ruled against the schools, which appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. An old unused bank account was the giveaway. It turns out that at the time Kristen Biel learned she had breast cancer, Kreuper, the school principal who fired her, was embezzling large amounts of money to go on gambling sprees in Las Vegas. The judge settled on a prison sentence of one year and a day and also ordered Kreuper to pay back the money she had stolen from the school. I, for one, absolutely love this move. Image Via Scott Varley/Digital First Media/ Torrance Daily Breeze via Getty Images. She just enjoyed gambling, he said. "I wanted to face them. The money she stole was used to pay off credit card charges and "large gambling expenses incurred at casinos", the US attorney's office said. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, who worked as the school principal for 28 years, and Sister Lana Chang, a teacher at the school for 20 years, reportedly bilked the funds over a period of at least a . var zergnet = document.createElement('script'); She would endorse the checks with a stamp saying St. Wright acknowledged in court that while he struggled to judge Kreuper, a decorated principal, on the worst thing that shes done in her life, the impact nuns have on young people in leading by example is crucial and the nuns actions gambled away that guiding principle. The two announced their retirement at the same time and were on their way out in 2018. (Shutterstock) LOS ANGELES, CA The retired principal of a Catholic . Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering after she admitted to investigators that she embezzled hundreds of thousands of. We use cookies to better understand website visitors, for advertising, and to offer you a better experience. Kreuper was in charge of the schools credit union account, where she was meant to deposit cash and checks from tuition, fees and donations. An 80-year-old nun who gambled away more than $835,000 in school funds was sentenced to twelve months and a day in federal prison Monday, according to a press release from the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). Kreuper has agreed to plead guilty to the charges in a deal with prosecutors, the US Attorney's Office of California said in a statement. When the fraudulent behavior first came to light, the order was deeply disappointed and offered to repay the lost funds only believed to be $500,000 at the time. Local 10 Newsreported Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang of St.James Catholic School(both retiring earlier this year) using money from the schools funds to live a life of luxury over the last ten years. Jon Jones Reacts To Islam Makhachev Declaring Himself The Best Fighter In The World, Shavkat Rakhmonov Reacts To ESPN/UFC Commentator Laura Sanko Thirsting Over Him In Viral Video, Jon Jones First Shirtless Pic At Heavyweight Before UFC 285 Goes Viral, Ja Morants Lawyer, Agent Threaten Legal Recourse For Defamatory Report From The Washington Post, Another Glitch In The Matrix Has Occurred As A Bird Is Filmed Motionless In Mid-Air, Bengals Exec Sends Harsh Wake-Up Call To Teams Sniffing Around Tee Higgins. 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. Kreuper falsified monthly and annual reports to cover up her crime and asked school employees to alter and destroy financial records during an audit. Ultimately, "they are not people we understand to be spiritual leaders of the church.". A Los Angeles nun jailed for stealing more than $800,000 to fund a gambling habit has admitted "I have sinned". Court documents show that she also oversaw the St. James Convent Account, a savings account that funded the living expenses of the nuns who worked at the school. At Monday's argument, Stanford law professor Jeff Fisher, who is representing the teachers, will tell the justices that by the terms of the teachers' contracts and the school handbooks, these teachers were hired to teach academic subjects. Kreuper stole the funds over the course of ten years, ending in 2018. But. The account was opened in 1997 but had not been used in years, until Sister Mary Margaret started diverting checks into the forgotten account. Although, formally speaking, Kreuper could face a punishment of up to 40 years in prison, it's unlikely she will receive such a long sentence. The St. James Catholic Church school in Torrance, California, on February 7, 2022. "As soon as she was confronted she accepted full responsibility for what she had done and she has cooperated completely with law enforcement and the Archdiocese,the pair said in a joint statement. The vow leads a nun to imitate Jesus, who for our sake became poor, although he was rich. 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. Copyright 2008-2023 BroBible. When first confronted, Mr Kumar said, the nun claimed she "did it in part because she believes priests get paid better than nuns". She then used some of the funds to pay for "large gambling expenses incurred at casinos and certain credit card charges.. She also controlled two savings accounts, one for the school and one for the nuns living expenses. The nun took frequent gambling trips to Las Vegas and holidays to Lake Tahoe and other locations in southern California, according to Poonam Kumar, the assistant US attorney. All rights reserved. According to prosecutors, Kreuper admitted that she falsified monthly and annual reports to the school administration to cover up her fraudulent conduct and lulled St James School and the administration into believing that the schools 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 schools finances and accounts and, thus, continue operating the fraudulent scheme.. At the time, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet imposed restrictions on the two women, writing in a news release that: "The two Sisters are removed from all public ministry. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Nun stops burglary with quick thinking and prayers: This is Gods property, Sister Andre, the worlds oldest living person, dies at 118, I was a celibate nun for 24 years then fell in love with a Catholic monk, Priest accused of inviting two nuns to take part in a threesome. The embezzlement helped to fuel her gambling habit. Those reports were accurate, and we are issuing a rating of "True.". 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. zergnet.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? All they needed to do was get through the school year. But when it came to the vow of poverty, the Southern California nun struggled to maintain her promise to the Catholic Church because of a gambling addiction that was out of control for a decade. 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. Jaclyn Peiser contributed to this report. Of course, at 79, the likelihood that Sister Mary Margaret will see any jail time is relatively slim. Kreuper as the schools principal, handled all tuition payments, with the sister depositing checks into a separate account that she and Chang had access to. She was the principal and had been colluding with longtime teacher Sister Lana Chang on the operation, per the Daily Breeze. The Archdiocese appears to have now changed course-with ABC Newsreporting a criminal case may now be in the works following deepening investigations. We've received your submission. Get the news that matters most delivered directly to your inbox. The now-retired nun (I didnt know nuns could retire) admitted to stealing about $835,000 in donations, tuition and fees. Instead of sitting in the Supreme Court chamber, though, Biel, like the rest of us, will be at home listening. According to the outlet, "Kreuper acknowledged diverting money to pay for personal expenses that included credit card charges and 'large gambling expenses incurred at casinos,' the U.S. attorney's office said.". 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 . Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admits to stealing over $835k from a Catholic School. His wife, he said, drove into their driveway "in tears bawling hysterically. Kobe Bryant's widow awarded nearly $29m after police shared photos of helicopter crash, Doctors recommend end-of-life decision for Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore, Ramon Escobar: Serial murderer suspected of killing prison inmate. An 80-year-old nun who gambled away more than $835,000 in school funds was sentenced to twelve months and a day in federal prison Monday, according to a press release from the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). She betrayed the trust of people in the community, the parents, students, the archdiocese and the sisters. They and their Order pray that you have not lost trust or faith in the educators and administrators of the school. He said he could not bring himself to judge Kreuper solely on "the worst thing that she's done in her life", the LA Times said. Margaret Mary Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang were accused of embezzling tuition, fees, and donations made in favor of St. James Catholic School to fund their gambling trips (Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet) Kreuper is also accused of directing St. James School employees to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit. A Los Angeles nun recently pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $800,000. 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Officials said Kreuper lulled St. James School and the administration into believing that the schools 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 schools finances and accounts and, thus, continue operating the fraudulent scheme.. znscr.parentNode.insertBefore(zergnet, znscr); When Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper became a nun, she took vows to live as Jesus did through chastity, obedience and service to the poor, sick and uneducated. Maybe if she had used her poker face to see more success in Vegas, she wouldnt have been in this position to begin with. I wanted them to see me," he says "and I just pray that the justices see the right way.". He had planned to be in Washington for Monday's argument. 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. Make sure you see our stories daily directly to your inbox. (RELATED: Nuns Allegedly Stole Catholic School Funds For Years: Report). They have been removed from their residence, placed in a religious house under the supervision of community leadership, and their freedom of movement is confined.". James School.. In June 2021, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admitted to embezzling $835,000 from the Catholic school where she served as principal for 28 years. 66 is still a fairly competent age. Her husband said that in her final days, the couple talked extensively about the case. His findings unraveled the entire scheme and, eventually, federal charges were levied against Sister Mary Margaret. She's obviously not employable.". Kreuper also admitted to falsifying monthly and annual reports to the school administration in an effort to cover up the embezzlement. But they asserted that the courts should dismiss the cases because the teachers were essentially ministers, and thus were not protected under the federal employment laws. Her husband, Darryl Biel, remembers that day vividly. The 80-year-old nun pleaded for mercy after stealing $835,339 from an elementary Catholic school to fund her gambling addiction.. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, admitted stealing the money from St James Catholic School in the L.A. suburb of Torrance, where she was school principal for nearly 30 years. I promised her I would see this through," he says. 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 defraudingSt. James Catholic Schoolover a period of 10 years. The Torrance Police Department, the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation into the allegations against Kreuper. Poonam Kumar, the assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California who prosecuted the case, told The Washington Post that Kreuper had diverted checks and cash from St. James parents into a long-overlooked church account to pay for large gambling expenses incurred at casinos and certain credit-card charges. The actions were done before the money could be accounted for, displaying repetitive and deceptive behavior, over and over again, the prosecutor said. She claimed that she was fired after she told her superior, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. The sisters later confessed to using the funds for themselves. ", Church says nuns embezzled from SoCal school to cover Vegas gambling tripswww.youtube.com. Eric Rassbach of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, who is representing the schools before the court, disagrees. But, Fisher counters, that "this isn't something you measure with a stopwatch." 5 Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, of Los Angeles, was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering Credit: KCAL 9 5 The pair confessed to using the funds for gambling excursions to Las Vegas and other spending sprees. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, a former principal at St James Catholic School in Torrance, California, used tuition fees and donations to subsidize casino gambling expenses and credit card payments, the authorities said. Kreuper, who took vows of poverty at age 18 and spent 59 years in the religious order, said in her plea agreement that she had begun diverting money from the schools tuition and donation account to a savings account that funded the living expenses of the nuns who worked at the school and then used some of the money herself. Five of the nine justices hearing Monday's case attended Catholic secondary schools, and several of them have sent their children to parochial schools as well. Trust shouldnt be broken like that., Others, such as Kevin Kearns, whose son had gone to the school, said the nun had put the students and parents above everything else., The church tells us to forgive those who have trespassed against us, Kearns said. The 80-year-old nun also was ordered to pay a total of.
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