mary margaret kreuper
hitType: 'event', 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. Police will, however, still follow the case and present their findings to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, of Los Angeles, was charged Tuesday with one count each of wire fraud and money laundering. An official website of the United States government. 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. She pled guilty to the charges in July 2021 and admitted that she embezzled money from the school for over a decade during her tenure. 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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. }) "The Sisters have confirmed the misappropriation of funds and have cooperated in the investigation. document.querySelector("#ads").addEventListener('click',function(){ JudgeOtis D. Wright II, however, said that the majority of letters to the court from people like coworkers, church leaders, parents, and former students pushed for a lighter sentence. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. eventAction: 'click_image_ads' 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. According to The New York Post, for the past three and a half years, Kreuper has been under house arrest. '', U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II said at last year's plea hearing that he was raised as a Roman Catholic, "and was educated by nuns. She is very sorry for any harm she has caused.". (CBSLA). 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 Tahoe. Mark Byrne, Kreupers attorney, acknowledged that Kreuper abused her trust, but called on Wright to sentence her to probation. The two embezzling sisters are Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang. 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. Kreuper was part of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet order, which Newsweek has contacted for comment. Urgent needs call us to bold conversation and prophetic action. I dont feel that Im a victim in this case, he said. 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. Or to keep it anonymous, click here. 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 pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and . Prosecutors had recommended a 24-month prison sentence, three years of supervised release, and restitution. IE 11 is not supported. MEAWW is an initialism for Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide. She took advantage of her position as principal at the school, where she was responsible for its income, which consisted of tuition fees and charitable donations. The nun has also been asked to pay a total of $825,338 in restitution to St. James Catholic School. was part of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet order, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. And I don't look at nuns as ordinary people. In the plea agreement, she admitted to having 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. Kreuper also admitted that she falsified monthly and annual reports to the school administration to cover up her fraudulent conduct. Los Angeles, California 90012. A nun has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $835,000 in school funds, which she spent on gambling and other expenses. 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. While at the organization, she was responsible for the money the school received to pay for tuition and fees as well as charitable donations. Parent and former school secretaryCheryl Hugo reportedly called Kreupers actions an abuse of power in every possible way.. 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. 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, said Wright, who fell silent and covered his face in his hands for a long pause during his pronouncement of the sentence. Officials said Kreuper and Chang used a large portion of the stolen funds for "personal gains" and "recycled" some of it back into the school, the Press-Telegram reported. As the school's principal, she was responsible for managing money received by the. 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. 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. These also include her gambling trips, revealed federal prosecutors. 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. I have sinned, Kreuper said during a Monday teleconference, according to The New York Daily News. As a Catholic nun, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper had taken a vow of poverty. When confronted by the Archdiocese, she said "her actions were justified because priests were paid more than nuns," the site reported. 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 was sentenced to a year in prison after she admitted to stealing more than $835,000 from a Southern California school to fund her gambling addiction. She will also be placed under two years supervision after the completion of her one-year and one-day prison sentence. ga('ads.send', { In March 2017, for instance, Kreuper deposited $5,700 in checks made out to the school into the convent account and then, in April 2017, wrote a check against the convent account for $6,000, made out to person who deposited the check and gave her the cash, the site reported. 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.. As per the plea deal, Kreuper reportedly used the embezzled money to fund her personal expenses, including large gambling bets and vacations to Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe and Temecula. But. 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. }); 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. reporters on a platform technologically tailored to meet the needs of the modern reader. (213) 894-4465. Put simply, anyone who stole over $800,000 from a school would go to prison, your honor, Assistant U.S. Atty. According to legal documents, Kreuper embezzled money from the school over a period of 10 years ending in September 2018. 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. 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. pg.acq.push(function() { The charges carry up to 40. if(document.querySelector("#adunit")){ First published on June 8, 2021 / 8:30 PM. For 10 years until September 2018, prosecutors say she bilked the facility for money. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, is seen in this undated photo. 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 Lock Kreuper had recently retired, which automatically triggered an audit that found irregularities, . In a letter addressed to parents and parishioners, he wrote, "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. 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.. SisterMary Margaret Kreuper, 80, was sentenced on Monday to 12 months and one day in federal prison byU.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II and ordered to pay$825,338 in restitution to theSt. James Catholic School in Torrance, California, according to a press release from theU.S. Attorneys Office in the Central District of California. A. Prosecutors alleged that she was also responsible for controlling credit union accounts, including a savings account for the school and another account to pay the living expenses of nuns hired by the institution. We, and those who share our charism and mission. Kreuper pleaded guilty in July 2021 to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. "Unfortunately . Ciaran McEvoy These included: "Large gambling expenses incurred at casinos and certain credit card charges.". coming from you," he said from the bench when she appeared in court on Thursday. }); The archdiocese did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The school became aware of the alleged embezzlement in a routine audit when one of the nuns retired as the school's principal. eventAction: 'click_adunit' 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. media-tech companies with hubs around the world. 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. We do know that they had a pattern of going on trips. Have a tip we should know? One former student said Kreuper violated her trust and contributed to her decision to leave the Catholic Church. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. 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. ", Baby Mia Jade Riley: Parents Lani and Tom Riley speak out after dog attack killed their 5-week-old infant, Kyle Sambrook: Hiker falls 100ft to death while carrying his dog in one hand through 'appalling' weather, Bruce Willis's mom Marlene 'not sure if her son still recognizes her' as 'aggressiveness' creeps in, Julia Faustyna: 21-yr-old girl who claims to be Madeleine McCann admits to making 'pornographic videos' in past, Killer mom Lindsay Clancy was suffering from drug withdrawal and had 'worst side effects,' says friend. if(document.querySelector("#ads")){ As part of her efforts to suppress everything, she got school employees to change and destroy financial records during a school audit. Justice for others and for ourselves is a deep value held by the Sisters of St. Joseph. According to Meyers, Kreuper and Chang were able to get away with the alleged scheme for years because the school was profitable and the money the sisters took would have ended up in a reserve fund. The total losses Kreuper caused to St. James Catholic School were $835,339. Meyers also said at the meeting that Kreuper began displaying "very nervous and very anxious" behavior about the audit and allegedly asked staff to change records. The 79-year-old Los Angeles resident was charged Tuesday with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Now Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, is set to spend a year and a day in prison followed by two years of supervised release. 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. Our community is deeply saddened by the pain and difficulty Sister Marys actions have caused for the parents, administration, staff and students of St. James School in Redondo Beach, California and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The 80-year-old nun also was ordered to pay a total of. I couldnt help think this is harsher than Club Fed, he said, using a nickname for low-security federal prisons, where conditions are far less harsh than at other lock-ups. 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. 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? I got exactly what I paid for. 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.. 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. Mary Margaret Kreuper was the principal of the elementary school for 28 years. 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. The family of Joseph includes many more than just the sisters. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet are a congregation of Catholic sisters. window.googletag.cmd.push(function() { 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. "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," he stated. At about $83,000 a year, the amount matches the tuition of 14 students a year, prosecutors said. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. 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, she said. "Unfortunately, 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. 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. They both retired at the end of this past school year, shortly before St. James Catholic Church in Redondo Beach was made aware of the alleged embezzlement happening at its school. Sister Mary Margaret, 77, was a pillar of the community who spent 29 years as the principal of St. James Catholic School. Online prison records do not yet show Kreuper in federal custody. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, was charged Tuesday with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering, according to the U.S. attorney's office for the Central District of California. She pleaded guilty toone count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering in July 2021, according to prosecutors, as part of a plea deal. Here are 10 you cant miss, Review: A reimagined Secret Garden fails to flower anew at the Ahmanson Theatre, Letters to the Editor: Trumps perfect call to Georgia was wrong. Since our first sisters gathered in 1650, our members have been called to do all things of which women are capable. Today, we commit to respond boldly to injustice and dare to be prophetic. "They were just such staunch defenders of moral fortitude, they were really tough on the kids," she said. Assistant United States Attorney Poonam G. Kumar of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case. Officials with the archdiocese alleged the nuns spent some of the money on personal trips and gambling, the Press-Telegram reported. On screen in one of the Zoom windows were five fellow nuns from her order, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. $ 825,338 in restitution to St. James Catholic school were $ 835,339 prosecutors had a! Life to the New York Daily News $ 83,000 a year, prosecutors she. 83,000 a year, prosecutors said `` Large gambling expenses incurred at casinos and certain credit card.! Just the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet are a congregation of Catholic Sisters for 10 years September! Sisters have confirmed the misappropriation of funds and have cooperated in the States... 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