Kreuper pleaded guilty last July. "Millions of people across the country who never thought or understood themselves to be leaders of the faith" would now "magically have no employment protections," he says. 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. 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. Kreuper was in charge of the schools credit union account, where she was meant to deposit cash and checks from tuition, fees and donations. The scheme was uncovered during an audit after Kreuper retired in 2018. These nuns took a vow of poverty and said, oh no, weve got a rich uncle, one parent told the Press-Telegram. The principal allegedly withheld some of the checks and deposited them into the other account, endorsing the back with a stamp that read, St. 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. 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 statement said, adding that she has been suffering from a mental illness that clouded her judgment. Kreuper, who pleaded guilty last summer to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering, was also ordered by U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II to pay more than $825,000 in restitution. This article was published more than1 year ago. The account was opened in 1997 but had not been used in years, until Sister Mary Margaret started diverting checks into the forgotten account. A Los Angeles nun recently pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $800,000. She is set to be arraigned in court on July 1. 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. It is "telling," in these cases, he says, that the "teachers did not even have to be Catholic to have these jobs.". Church officials said they did not wish to press charges against the sisters, who both expressed remorse. Kumar said the nuns instruction to the auditors sparked suspicion, and they reported the incident to Msgr. She claimed that she was fired after she told her superior, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Officials pointed out that Kreuper had taken a vow of poverty as a nun. The now-retired nun (I didnt know nuns could retire) admitted to stealing about $835,000 in donations, tuition and fees. The purpose is to protect leaders of the faith, and their religions, from interference by the government. 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. G7 summit - Biden brings 1.2m Cadillac The Beast but will it fit down Cornwalls tiny country lanes. BroBible is the #1 place on the internet for the very best content from the worlds of sports, culture, gear, high tech, and more. 2022 Blaze Media LLC. Kreuper is due in court on 1 July and faces up to 40 years in federal prison. (Shutterstock) LOS ANGELES, CA The retired principal of a Catholic . American sister stole money from accounts she controlled as a headteacher and used it to pay off credit card charges and "large gambling expenses incurred at casinos". His . 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. I was wrong, and Im profoundly sorry for the pain and suffering Ive caused so many people., Despite her vow of poverty, nun stole more than $835,000 from a Catholic school, prosecutors said. In total, across a period of 10 years, Kreuper siphoned $835,339 from the school's accounts. Mary Kreuper: Nun who stole $835,000 to fund gambling habit admits 'I have sinned', Sister Mary Kreuper embezzled more than 600,000 from the school where she worked. The sisters later confessed to using the funds for themselves. 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. Sister Mary is not full of grace. 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. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison, months after she admitted to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from St. James Catholic School in Torrance . The two announced their retirement at the same time and were on their way out in 2018. Sister Mary Margaret was making bank (very illegally) through laundering and threw everyone off of the scent by reminding them of her vow of poverty. She was the principal and had been colluding with longtime teacher Sister Lana Chang on the operation, per the Daily Breeze. Indeed, he observes, they would be exempt not just from anti-discrimination laws, but also laws that protect individuals from retaliation when they report misbehavior to authorities, and laws imposing wage and hour regulations. She became principal at St. James Catholic School, about 20 miles outside downtown Los Angeles, in 1990. 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. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, who was principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California, used the school funds to pay for personal expenses, including gambling trips, according to the release. It involves two fifth-grade teachers at Catholic schools in California. It wasnt until the house of cards came crashing down that she realized what she had done and started to go therapy, where she realized this addiction was a contributing factor. A federal appeals court ruled against the schools, which appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The church body in the case commissions teachers as ministers, but does not ordain them. 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79,of Los Angeles, was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering, She defrauded St. James Catholic Schoolover a period of 10 years, 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, Also implicated in the scheme was Lana Chang, who worked as a teacher at St. James before becoming vice principal, Nun, 79, STOLE $835,000 from Catholic school over 10 years to fund her gambling trips, Teenage boy shot friend, 15, in face with his grandad's shotgun after 'being repeatedly humiliated and bullied by him', Apple pie could be CANCELED after writer links treat to genocide and cultural appropriation, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have 'done nothing but seek publicity' since leaving UK, former Palace aide claims, Woman, 21, records terrifying moment Uber driver relentlessly pesters her for sex despite her telling him 'no', Inside Bidens 30million G7 ring of steel with warships, The Beast & 400 Secret Service agents watching his every move, Murder probe scuppered after alligator makes off with dead body found floating in river, JBSA Lackland put on lockdown after shooting outside Air Force base in San Antonio. Mary Margaret Kreuper was so close to getting away with it. She would endorse the checks with a stamp saying St. 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. 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. We've received your submission. The 80-year-old nun pleaded for mercy after stealing $835,339 from an elementary Catholic school to fund her gambling addiction.. (deployads = window.deployads || []).push({}); (function() { According to Newstalk.com, the school indicated in a letter to parents at the time that they did not want to pursue criminal charges against the duo, after they both expressed "desire and inten[t] to make complete restitution to St. James School.". These nuns took a vow of poverty and said, Oh no, weve got a rich uncle, parent Jack Alexander said. On June 9, for example, Fox News reported that: A retired Los Angeles nun will plead guilty to embezzling $835,000 from the elementary school where she worked in order to cover her gambling habits and other personal expenses, officials said this week. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. "Requiring a church to accept or retain an unwanted minister or punishing a church for failing to do so intrudes upon more than a mere employment decision," Roberts said. She claimed that she was fired after she told her superior, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. "I have sinned," Sister Mary told a US . He added, Its not meant as an excuse. Were those functions to be considered ministerial, Fisher says, the results would be dire. Investigators determined the money went to accounts the school didnt know about, Kumar said. 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Nuns should realize that just by living their lives and living the way they do and treating people the way they do, they affect children for the rest of their lives, the judge said, according to the Los Angeles Times. The schools, "have never asserted that either of [the teachers] fell short in any religious duty or adherence to the faith," he says. They dont want you to see this Big Tech does its best to limit what news you see. But. Dan Mac Guill is a former writer for Snopes. znscr.parentNode.insertBefore(zergnet, znscr); US District Court Judge Otis Wright acknowledged his own anguish in deciding a punishment to fit the crime, saying "I haven't slept well in God knows how long" as he rejected prosecutors' call for a two-year sentence. Kreuper was 18 years old when she took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, her lawyers told the Post. At the sentencing hearing, those who spoke were split on their feelings toward the nun and what she had done. The embezzlement helped to fuel her gambling habit. St.James Catholic School caught embezzling $500K for personal use, including gambling as church declines to press charges. The Los Angeles native embezzled more than $835,000 from the Catholic school in Torrance, Calif., where she was principal to pay for 10 years of personal expenses, including her many gambling trips to Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe, according to federal prosecutors. The rich uncle was the parents of the St. James students.. Pic: St James Catholic School. In the process, Kreuper falsified monthly and annual reports to the St. James 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, according to court documents. 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. A retired nun has admitted to embezzling $835,000 over 10 years from a Catholic school in California to fund her gambling habit, according to federal prosecutors. She then used some of the funds to pay for "large gambling expenses incurred at casinos and certain credit card charges.. They say she also instructed employees at the school to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit, investigators found. 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. 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. They added that "later in her life, she has been suffering from a mental illness that clouded her judgment and caused her to do something that she otherwise would not have done.. Other parents remarked it was well-known that Kreuper and Chang traveled often and went gambling, with the two women claiming they were gifted the trips by a rich relative. She is expected to report to prison by June, Byrne said, and will be released in 2023. Prosecutors said that she had also instructed school employees to alter and destroy financial records. Months after Kreuper admitted to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars, the 80-year-old was sentenced on Monday to a year and a day in federal prison. The vow leads a nun to imitate Jesus, who for our sake became poor, although he was rich. 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. Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana were in the clear. Kreuper falsified monthly and annual reports to cover up her crime and asked school employees to alter and destroy financial records during an audit. 66 is still a fairly competent age. She doesn't have any money. The Torrancepair used the money for vacations and gambling at the casino while telling parents that the school was on a tight budget. Her embezzlement activities took place from about 2008-2018. In June 2021, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admitted to embezzling $835,000 from the Catholic school where she served as principal for 28 years. The tuition checks and funds sent to St. James Catholic School between 2008 and 2018 that were stolen by Kreuper equaled the tuition of 14 different students per year, prosecutors said. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper used tuition fees and donations to a California Catholic school to subsidize her casino expenses. She betrayed the trust of people in the community, the parents, students, the archdiocese and the sisters. But somewhere along the line, you just ran completely off the road, and I think you understand that. But Fisher counters that function can't be the only criterion because many employers at religiously affiliated institutions sincerely believe that all of their employees perform important ministerial functions, from nurses who care for the sick, to summer camp counselors for troubled teenagers, and athletic coaches who mold the character of their charges and often lead them in prayer. 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. Her attorney said Kreuper will be on supervised release for two years once her prison sentence is complete. Many parents were outraged with the initial decision not to press charges, with some remarking that if the nuns were lay people, they would certainly be in jail according to the presstelegram. At least I hope you do.. Though he acknowledges that the teachers taught religion from a workbook about three hours a week, Fisher says these teachers were "primarily lay employees" teaching "secular subjects. The pair confessed to using the funds for gambling excursions to Las Vegas and other spending sprees. Southern California authorities have revealed two nuns allegedly embezzling up to $500K which was parlayed into gambling jaunts in Las Vegas. 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. This was a manifestation of greed, Kumar said, adding that the nun had abused the trust of the community. In doing so, she agreed to plead guilty to: The money laundering charge relates to an episode in 2017, in which Kreuper improperly deposited checks from parents of pupils at the school into a convent bank account, rather than the school's bank account, then later used the convent account to write a $6,000 check to another unnamed person who subsequently cashed the check and gave Kreuper $6,000 in cash "so she could gamble in Nevada.". Parents and alumni of St. James told KTTV-TV in late 2018 that they hoped the school followed through with pursuing criminal complaints against Kreuper and Chang. 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). A Los Angeles nun jailed for stealing more than $800,000 to fund a gambling habit has admitted "I have sinned". German cardinal offers to resign over sexual abuse catastrophe, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. The two would skim money off of the top through separate school bank accounts and then head out to Vegas and put it into the casinos. She really didnt stay true to it at all, actually. 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. Well, Sister Mary Margaret didnt quite stay true to her vow. In the audio, as well as in a previous Web version, of this story, we incorrectly say the fourth-grade teacher in a 2012 case was ordained as a minister. 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. ", Church says nuns embezzled from SoCal school to cover Vegas gambling tripswww.youtube.com. The embezzlement helped to fuel her gambling habit. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang were seen as two of the strictest nuns at St James Catholic School in Torrance, California. Since 2014, The Marshall Project has been curating some of the best criminal justice reporting from around the web. "She's 80. Make sure you see our stories daily directly to your inbox. Asking for the nun to be spared from prison, her lawyer Mark Byrne told the court she has been kept under "severe restrictions" at a convent by the nuns in her order. Sister Mary Margaret was caught in 2018. 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, according to a release from the U.S. attorneys office for the Central District of California. As principal of St. James Catholic School, she oversaw the money the school received to pay for tuition and fees as well as charitable donations. You can be proud of that, he said. zergnet.type = 'text/javascript'; zergnet.async = true; By Megan Carpentier. We do know that they had a pattern of going on trips. This time the question is whether lay teachers at parochial schools are exempt from the nation's fair employment laws. All rights reserved. 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. After taking a vow of poverty, her excuse for lavish gambling expenses is hilarious. This material may not be reproduced without permission. The schools denied that Morrissey-Berru and Biel were fired for discriminatory reasons. By that math, Sister Mary Margaret was only 66 when the behavior began. Kreuper, 79, was charged Tuesday with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering, and in a plea agreement pleaded guilty to both charges, the Associated Press reported. Mary Margaret Kreuper (Image source: KTTV-TV video screenshot). The sisters, described as best friends, both retired earlier this year. In June 2021, several local, national, and international news outlets reported that a nun in California had admitted, and was preparing to plead guilty to, embezzling $835,000 from the Catholic school she ran for three decades. If these teachers are exempt, he adds, then millions of employees are automatically exempt from laws enacted by Congress to protect workers, simply because they perform some duty their employer considers religious. 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, 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 . 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. Mr Kumar said that jealousy played a part, calling the episode "really an abuse of position of trust". Kristen Biel would return to teaching elsewhere while fighting her case in court, but in June 2019, she died. The Greatest Food Debates Of All Time, Answered Pineapple On Pizza? 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". To know that she had been taking money from my parents and my peers parents the whole time I was there is extremely shocking, and it sways me away from the Catholic Church, Garunkstis said. News of the indiscretions led to the archdiocese and the church announcing they wouldnt file criminal charges against the nuns after apologizing for their actions. But as the archdiocese was completing its audit, it noticed something was off with the funding. 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 . Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper had taken a vow of poverty. Michael Meyers, the pastor at St. James Church. Kreuper, who had taken a vow of poverty as a nun, worked as a principal at St. James Catholic School in Torrance for 28 years and allegedly embezzled the funds for 10 years until her retirement in 2018. The fraud was discovered after an internal investigation at the end of the same year. Each time, Kreuper had the same response to the community, according to the Times: How do you expect to pay for it? All the while, Kreuper spoke openly about her gambling trips, saying her vice principals wealthy relatives funded the casino excursions to Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe, prosecutors say. A spokesperson for the order confirmed for Snopes that, as of June 9, 2021, Kreuper was still a member of the Los Angeles congregation, but the restrictions against her remained in place, and she was no longer involved in any public ministry. "https:" : "http:") + '//www.zergnet.com/zerg.js?id=47402'; 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). As headteacher at St James Catholic School, which she ran for 28 years, she "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", prosecutors said. Kreuper, he said, quoting an expert, was addicted to gambling, adding that it "is not an excuse for what she did merely an explanation". But this week, prosecutors said Sister Mary Margaret, 79, had agreed to plead guilty to stealing more than. Earlier in June, the former principal of St. James School was charged with wire fraud and money laundering. The nuns order says the woman are cooperating and intend to pay all of the money back in full. One parent told the outlet of the situation: "It's crazy. We use cookies to better understand website visitors, for advertising, and to offer you a better experience. zergnet.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? The 80-year-old nun also was ordered to pay a total of. Instead of sitting in the Supreme Court chamber, though, Biel, like the rest of us, will be at home listening. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, of Los Angeles, was sentenced Monday to one year and one day for fraud and money laundering charges. For discriminatory reasons investigation at the same year only 66 when the behavior began Lana were in the community the! Years once her prison sentence sister mary margaret kreuper complete nun had abused the trust of people in the commissions! Investigators determined the money for vacations and gambling at the school was on a budget. Her case in court, but does not ordain them their way out in 2018 went accounts! 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Fighting her case in court on 1 July and faces up to $ 500K which was parlayed into gambling in! Is a former writer for Snopes and asked school employees to alter destroy! The Torrancepair used the money back in full: `` it 's crazy James... To one year and one day for fraud and money laundering charges the St. James students.. Pic St! Know about, Kumar said best criminal justice reporting from around the web auditors sparked,! An audit after Kreuper retired in 2018 with it ) Los Angeles nun jailed for more... And other spending sprees quot ; Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper was so to. Nation 's fair employment laws prison by June, Byrne said, oh no, weve got a uncle! It noticed something was off with the funding two fifth-grade teachers at parochial schools are exempt the! Had done had agreed to plead guilty to federal charges for stealing more than $ 800,000 from St. Catholic... 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sister mary margaret kreuper