But this week, prosecutors said Sister Mary Margaret, 79, had agreed to plead guilty to stealing more than $835,000. TORRANCE, Calif. (CNS) -- The retired principal of a Catholic elementary school in Torrance who embezzled more than $835,000 in school funds to support a gambling habit was sentenced to one year and a day in prison on Monday. A nun is pictured at Vatican's Gregorian University. Urgent needs call us to bold conversation and prophetic action. The 80-year-old nun also was ordered to pay a total of. 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. Kreuper had pleaded guilty in July to one count each of wire fraud and money laundering. 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 also directed St. James School employees to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit. 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. But it doesnt mean hes a criminal, Rain check! In court papers it was . For a period of 10 years ending in September 2018, Kreuper embezzled money from St. James Catholic School. My son got the best education possible, in fact, I probably wouldve paid double the tuition rate in order for my son to attend St. James.. Wright also said that as someone who had been educated by nuns, "unlike most cases, this one will be a struggle.". 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. Prosecutors also said that Kreuper directed St. James School staff to alter and destroy financial records during an audit, and caused total losses of $835,339. After reviewing all the letters, Wright said, it appeared most families had forgiven Kreuper. She pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges, which together carry a total of up to 40 years in federal prison. An indictment was unsealed today charging Terren S. Peizer, the CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ontrak Inc., a Henderson, Nevada-based publicly traded health care company, for A Carson man who was a central figure in an international fraud and money-laundering network that targeted $25 million through a variety of frauds including romance scams and elder A former executive at cinema subscription service MoviePass Inc. has been arrested on a federal grand jury indictment alleging he embezzled approximately $260,000 from MoviePass parent company to repay money Central District of California 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.. 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. Not all of the years appear to have involved alleged financial crimes. The charges carry up to 40 years . However, her arrangement came to light following a 2018 financial review after her retirement. 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. She diverted tuition to a secret account, which she used to fund casino trips, prosecutors said. Kreuper was principal at the school for 29 years. 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 . Retired nun Mary Margaret Kreuper, admitted to stealing money from St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California. She diverted tuition to a secret account, which she used to fund casino trips, prosecutors said. 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. Emailus. As principal -- a position she had for nearly 30 years before she retired -- Kreuper was responsible for the money the school received to pay for tuition and fees, as well as for charitable donations, according to documents filed in Los Angeles federal court. 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. 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 . Kreuper was part of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet order, which Newsweek has contacted for comment. At about $83,000 a year, the amount matches the tuition of 14 students a year, prosecutors said. Kreuper acknowledged that for a period of 10 years ending in September 2018, she embezzled $835,339 from St. James Catholic 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. media-tech companies with hubs around the world. Church monsignor Michael Myers addressed a crowd of a few hundred people saying the archdiocese had launched an investigation into the matter after Kreuper became "very nervous and very anxious" about her financial review and asked for records to be altered. After charges were filed, her attorneys issued a statement saying she suffered "from mental illness that clouded her judgment.". 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. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, of Los Angeles, was charged Tuesday with one count each of wire fraud and money laundering. As part of her efforts to suppress everything, she got school employees to change and destroy financial records during a school audit. "Unfortunately . In the spring of 2014, Kristen Biel had just been diagnosed with breast cancer and needed time off from her teaching job at St. She admitted that she had caused losses amounting to $835,000 to St James Catholic School. As a Catholic nun, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper had taken a vow of poverty. 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. 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. On screen in one of the Zoom windows were five fellow nuns from her order, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. 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. Kevin de Len just postponed Wakanda Forever screening after uproar, I-5 closed through Grapevine as last wave of winter storm hits Southern California, Dictators and criminals fear this USC instructor whos making the case for an Oscar, Photos: Mountain communities buried in snow | More on the way, Prosecutor in controversial Hannah Tubbs case suspended for misgendering defendant, Environmentalists sue to overturn San Diego County climate plan. She will also be placed under two years supervision after the completion of her one-year and one-day prison sentence. A Los Angeles nun jailed for stealing more than $800,000 to fund a gambling habit has admitted "I have sinned". Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper was just 18 years old when she took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. ga('ads.send', { Central District of California (Los Angeles) Author of the article: 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. ", In a statement, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles said that: "The community of faith at St. James was shocked and saddened by these actions.". 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, 79, of Los Angeles, was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering on Tuesday for defrauding St. James Catholic School over a period . pg.acq.push(function() { 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 also falsified the school's monthly and yearly financial reports to hide her embezzlement and, when questioned by parents about the school's resources, told them "there was no money for an awning at school and no money for field trips," prosecutors said. Love of God is at the heart of our charism. 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. 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. eventAction: 'click_image_ads' Kreuper is also accused of directing St. James employees to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit. 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. 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. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Documents state, 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.. https://t.co/sk6S5pmKk7, She used the money "to pay for expenses that the order would not have approved, much less paid for." 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. They also urged Wright to keep in mind that her status as a nun helped her evade detection. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of . eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Minyvonne Burkeis a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, of Los Angeles, was charged last month with one count each of wire fraud and money laundering for embezzling the money over the span of 10 years, up until 2018, the . I got exactly what I paid for. By Megan Carpentier The St. James Catholic Church school in Torrance, California, on February 7, 2022. Check out an array of spirituality resources. At the time of her plea agreement, her attorney, Mark Byrne, suggested another reason in a statement to Courthouse News. 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. 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. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Mary Margaret Kreuper was so close to getting away with it. The 79-year-old Los Angeles resident was charged Tuesday with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Assistant United States Attorney Poonam G. Kumar of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case. St. James Catholic School Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper embezzled $835,339 in the school's tuition, fees, and charitable donations for her personal expenses. 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. The Torrance Police Department, the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation in this matter. [emailprotected]. '', 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. READ ALSO | 2 nuns accused of embezzling 'substantial' amount from Catholic school in Torrance. 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. 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. One former student said Kreuper violated her trust and contributed to her decision to leave the Catholic Church. 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. Our congregation was founded in St. Louis in 1836, and since then we have formed additional communities and provinces around the world. However, the nun started diverting the money into secret accounts in 2008 to fund her gambling habits and personal credit card charges. 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. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Auditors at the meeting said that checks made out to the school for tuition and other fees first went to Kreuper before being handed over to the bookkeeping staff. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotOnload', function(event) { Be the first one to comment on this story. 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. 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 pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and . Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, is seen in this undated photo. "The Sisters have confirmed the misappropriation of funds and have cooperated in the investigation. 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. 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. Put simply, anyone who stole over $800,000 from a school would go to prison, your honor, Assistant U.S. Atty. 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. 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. 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.. pg.acq.push(function() { Church officials previously said they did not want to press criminal charges against the nuns. if(document.querySelector("#ads")){ The church was made aware of the scheme around June when it began a routine audit in response to Kreupers retiring. 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. When it was all over, she had been principal for a total of 28 years, they said. document.querySelector("#adunit").addEventListener('click',function(){ Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, admitted stealing $835,000 while principal of an LA-area school. A retired nun accused of gambling with the funds of a Torrance Catholic school where she worked as the principal faces federal prison time after pleading gui. Kreuper was sentenced to one year in prison Monday and told to pay back the money. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. 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. }); Poonam Kumar told the judge. But somewhere along the line, you just ran completely off the road, and I think you understand that. U.S. District Judge Otis D . Have a tip we should know? I dont feel that Im a victim in this case, he said. },false) }); ", Kreuper, they noted in their press releases, "as a nun had taken a vow of poverty.". }); Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, entered her plea to wire fraud and money laundering charges, which . },false) St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California. Official websites use .gov Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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. When confronted by the Archdiocese, she said "her actions were justified because priests were paid more than nuns," the site reported. A locked padlock Notifications can be turned off anytime from browser settings. 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. 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. if(document.querySelector("#google_image_div")){ Mark Byrne, Kreupers attorney, acknowledged that Kreuper abused her trust, but called on Wright to sentence her to probation. 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". We, and those who share our charism and mission, are motivated in all things by our profound love of God and our dear neighbors. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS eventAction: 'view' 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.. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. eventAction: 'click_ads' Kreuper, who was principal at the elementary school for 28 years, was responsible for the money the school received to pay for tuition and fees as well as charitable donations. 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. The nun has also been asked to pay a total of $825,338 in restitution to St. James Catholic School. 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. eventAction: 'click_adunit' 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. 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. Los Angeles, California 90012. Wright told Kreuper shed been one heck of a teacher during her 62 years as a nun. 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.. 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 I was wrong and Im profoundly sorry for the pain and suffering Ive caused so many people.. Chang and Kreuper's scheme was exposed after an internal auditor confirmed the church's suspicions. ga('ads.send', { She even attempted to destroy documents when an audit nearly exposed her arrangement. The nun admitted to her crimes shortly after she was indicted. 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. 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. 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? Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, of Los Angeles, was charged Tuesday with one count each of wire fraud and money laundering. Over the course of the scheme, Kreuper admitted to causing $825,339 in losses to St. James Catholic School. 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. hitType: 'event', "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. 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. Myers said both the nuns had confessed to their crimes. ga('ads.send', { 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 allegedly held on to some of the checks and deposited them into a separate bank account than the one used by the school. Ciaran McEvoy }); hitType: 'event', 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. And I don't look at nuns as ordinary people. was part of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet order, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. On an annualized basis (approximately $83,000 per year), [Kreuper] stole the equivalent of the tuition of 14 different students per year, prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. For 10 years until September 2018, prosecutors say she bilked the facility for money. (Youtube/KCAL) Kreuper controlled accounts at a credit union, including a savings account for the school and one established to pay the . At least I hope you do.. coming from you," he said from the bench when she appeared in court on Thursday. She pleaded guilty last July to one count . June 8, 2021 / 8:30 PM Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admits to stealing over $835k from a Catholic School. Assistant United States Attorney Poonam G Kumar of the Major Frauds Section is prosecuting the case. eventAction: 'load' Police will, however, still follow the case and present their findings to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. 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. Of funds and have cooperated in the investigation one year in prison Monday and told to pay back the.. 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