https://t.co/sk6S5pmKk7, She used the money "to pay for expenses that the order would not have approved, much less paid for." 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}} Kreuper was principal at the school for 29 years. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Today, she has been held accountable by the United States criminal justice system. Mary Margaret Kreuper admitted to stealing the money from 2008 to 2018 while she was principal at St. James Catholic School in the LA suburb of Torrance. A California nun is heading to jail after she admitted to stealing more than $835,000 in funds from a Catholic school to pay off her credit card and gambling debts. Let us pray for our school families and for Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana," he added. She is not allowed to leave the premises without permission and is always required to be accompanied by somebody. Kreuper pleaded guilty in July 2021 to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Parent and former school secretaryCheryl Hugo reportedly called Kreupers actions an abuse of power in every possible way.. }); But somewhere along the line, you just ran completely off the road, and I think you understand that. 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. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. But it doesnt mean hes a criminal, Rain check! }) For three years, Byrne told the judge, the nuns in her order have kept her under severe restrictions at a convent. let gads_event; 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. First published on June 8, 2021 / 8:30 PM. 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. "We. He settled on one year and a day in prison. When an audit threatened to expose the scheme, Kreuper instructed St. James employees to destroy documents. ", In a statement, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles said that: "The community of faith at St. James was shocked and saddened by these actions.". 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. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), }) 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. Meyers said he then notified the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, who in turn hired an independent forensic auditor to perform a review. 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.". Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, who took a vow of poverty, begged a judge to show . 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 . A nun is pictured at Vatican's Gregorian University. Kreuper pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and . 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. Ive broken the law and I have no excuses. 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. 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. Have a question about Government Services? 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. Kreuper allegedly held on to some of the checks and deposited them into a separate bank account than the one used by the school. MEAWW brings you the best content from its global team of Minyvonne Burkeis a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News. 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. (Youtube/KCAL) She was sentenced to prison on Monday, February 7, 2022, for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from the school funds. Kreuper is also accused of directing St. James School employees to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit. Most of the funds she blew on gambling trips to Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe with. She is very sorry for any harm she has caused.". We also deeply value relationships. LOS ANGELES A nun who was the principal of a Catholic elementary school in Torrance was sentenced today to 12 months and one day in federal prison for stealing more than $835,000 in school funds to pay for personal expenses, including gambling trips. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Yosemite breaks decades-old snowfall record, closing national park indefinitely, San Diego federal judge had defendants 13-year-old daughter handcuffed. According to legal documents, Kreuper embezzled money from the school over a period of 10 years ending in September 2018. As a Catholic nun, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper had taken a vow of poverty. 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. The St. James Catholic Church school in Torrance, California, on February 7, 2022. 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.. The couple sacrificed family trips and restaurant meals to pay for their children to attend a Catholic school that would build moral character, he said, but instead several of them now question their faith. At the prosecutors request, the judge later lowered the amount by $10,000 to account for what she has already repaid. 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. 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. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, admitted stealing $835,000 while principal of an LA-area school. Ciaran McEvoy Wright also said that as someone who had been educated by nuns, "unlike most cases, this one will be a struggle.". eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), if(document.querySelector("#ads")){ Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, was also ordered to pay $825,338 in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. As part of her efforts to suppress everything, she got school employees to change and destroy financial records during a school audit. ga('ads.send', { The lawyers also mentioned that the nun was suffering from a mental illness that clouded her judgment and caused her to do something that she otherwise would not have done. They noted that she was remorseful and very sorry for any harm she has caused., Attorney Kumar also shared that during her confrontation Kreuper mentioned that she embezzled money partly because she believed priests get paid better than nuns.. At the time of her plea agreement, her attorney, Mark Byrne, suggested another reason in a statement to Courthouse News. Today, we commit to respond boldly to injustice and dare to be prophetic. According to authorities, she spent 10 years embezzling money from St. James Catholic School where she served as principal. She was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison in addition to . 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. They and their order pray that you have not lost trust or faith in the educators and administrators of the school. 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 . Of Minyvonne Burkeis a senior breaking news reporter for NBC news blew on gambling to... School where she served as principal lowered the amount by $ 10,000 to for. 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