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. Kreuper had pleaded guilty in July to one count each of wire fraud and money laundering. She is very sorry for any harm she has caused.''. if(document.querySelector("#ads")){ She called her crimes a violation of my vows, the commandments, the law, and above all the sacred trust that so many had placed in me.. 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. 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. She doesnt have anywhere to go, he said. 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. 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. }); Wright also said that as someone who had been educated by nuns, "unlike most cases, this one will be a struggle.". 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 religious order Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, of which Sr. Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sr. Lana Chang are members, has agreed to a "full restitution" of money used for personal matters by the two women, the letter said. . 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. She diverted tuition to a secret account, which she used to fund casino trips, prosecutors said. But somewhere along the line, you just ran completely off the road, and I think you understand that. We seek to build communities and bridge divides between people. At the prosecutors request, the judge later lowered the amount by $10,000 to account for what she has already repaid. 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 admitted that she had caused losses amounting to $835,000 to St James Catholic School. Track SoCal rain with LIVE Megadoppler 7000 HD. 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. Or to keep it anonymous, click here. Kreuper is also accused of directing St. James employees to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! }) 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. The nun served as the principal of the elementary school for nearly 28 years until her retirement in 2018. 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. The 80-year old nun was ordered to pay $825,338.57 she embezzled while principal at St. James in Torrance, CA and spent gambling in Las Vegas. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper is an 80-year-old nun from Torrance and a former principal of St. James Catholic School. eventAction: 'click_ads' [emailprotected]. 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. She even attempted to destroy documents when an audit nearly exposed her arrangement. 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. Poonam Kumar told the judge. Kreuper's crimes occurred during her role as the school's principal, a position from which she retired in 2018. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, admitted to stealing the funds while she was principal at St. James Catholic School from 2008 to 2018. Meyers said during the meeting that around that same time a family who gave money to the school requested a copy of the check, and staff noticed that the check had been deposited into an account not associated with the school. was part of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet order, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. 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.. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), 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. ", 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. In court papers it was . Parent and former school secretaryCheryl Hugo reportedly called Kreupers actions an abuse of power in every possible way.. }) ", She also admitted in the plea agreement to falsifying monthly and annual reports to the school's administration to cover up the fraudulent conduct and "lulled 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, in turn, allowed defendant Kreuper to maintain her access and control of the school's finances and accounts and, thus, continue operating the fraudulent scheme.". These funds were intended to further the students education, not fund [Kreupers] lifestyle. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet are a congregation of Catholic sisters. Ive used this to teach my son that were all human, we all make mistakes, but the power of forgiveness is the most powerful tool that we have.. 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. The nun admitted to her crimes shortly after she was indicted. 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. eventAction: 'view' 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. ciaran.mcevoy@usdoj.gov United States Attorneys Office (Youtube/KCAL) if(document.querySelector("#adunit")){ While at the organization, she was responsible for the money the school received to pay for tuition and fees as well as charitable donations. "I don't look at nuns as ordinary people," he said, according to FOX 6. "They were just such staunch defenders of moral fortitude, they were really tough on the kids," she said. June 8, 2021 / 8:30 PM hitType: 'event', Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper was just 18 years old when she took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. 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. }); As part of her role as the head of the institution, Kreuper oversaw all funds the school received for tuition fees and charitable donations. Church officials previously said they did not want to press criminal charges against the nuns. hitType: 'event', The archdiocese did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment. Mary Margaret Kreuper was the principal of the elementary school for 28 years. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('impressionViewable', function(event) { She convinced school administration into thinking everything was on the up and up. "They and their Order pray that you have not lost trust or faith in the educators and administrators of the school. Justice for others and for ourselves is a deep value held by the Sisters of St. Joseph. 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. After reviewing all the letters, Wright said, it appeared most families had forgiven Kreuper. In conjunction with the criminal information, prosecutors filed a plea agreement in which Kreuper agreed to plead guilty to the two charges that carry a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in federal prison. The charges carry up to 40. Kreuper 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, according to court documents. 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 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. eventAction: 'render' Kreuper was principal at the school for 29 years. Mary Margaret Kreuper, of Los Angeles, was the principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance for 28 years. Los Angeles, California 90012. https://t.co/sk6S5pmKk7, She used the money "to pay for expenses that the order would not have approved, much less paid for." document.querySelector("#ads").addEventListener('click',function(){ 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. Online prison records do not yet show Kreuper in federal custody. ga('ads.send', { The embezzlement helped to fuel her gambling habit. A locked padlock 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. Be the first one to comment on this story. "Unfortunately, later in her life she has been suffering from mental illness that clouded her judgment and caused her to do something that she otherwise would not have done," read the statement, which was carried by media outlets, "She is very sorry for any harm she has caused. 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. It said the parish, school and the Archdiocese: "Reported the matter and fully cooperated with authorities in the criminal investigation," adding: "We continue to offer our prayers for all impacted by this matter," CBS 9 reported. 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.. 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. The investigation into this matter is being conducted by the Torrance Police Department, the FBI, and IRS Criminal Investigation. 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.
Patterdale Terrier Bite Force Psi,
Does Chris Potter Have Cancer In Real Life,
Endocrinologist Birmingham, Al Grandview,
Massachusetts Laborers Union Wages,
The Paris Hours Ending Explained,
Articles M