2022 Blaze Media LLC. 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. Police will still present the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office, NBC reported. We use cookies to better understand website visitors, for advertising, and to offer you a better experience. But they asserted that the courts should dismiss the cases because the teachers were essentially ministers, and thus were not protected under the federal employment laws. 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 10 years. The two holy women were eventually caught out after a recent audit. We've received your submission. James Convent, not St. Julija Garunkstis, a St. James mother who attended the school between 2005 and 2014, said Kreuper had shaken her faith. The Greatest Food Debates Of All Time, Answered Pineapple On Pizza? Kristen Biel would return to teaching elsewhere while fighting her case in court, but in June 2019, she died. 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. 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). The two announced their retirement at the same time and were on their way out in 2018. 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. Mary Margaret Kreuper of Los Angeles was sentenced to one year and a day in prison after pleading guilty in July 2021 to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering, according. 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. By Colin Groundwater June 9, 2021 Two summers ago, Sean Flynn reported a wild story for GQ about two very. Margaret Mary Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang were accused of embezzling tuition, fees, and donations made in favor of St. James Catholic School to fund their gambling trips (Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet) Kreuper is also accused of directing St. James School employees to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit. Instead, the school's principal, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, was stealing the money and using it to bankroll her gambling habit, federal prosecutors said, violating her vow of poverty. 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.". (Shutterstock) LOS ANGELES, CA The retired principal of a Catholic . An old unused bank account was the giveaway. These nuns took a vow of poverty and said, oh no, weve got a rich uncle, one parent told the Press-Telegram. I don't drink coffee, I wake up jacked. zergnet.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? 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. The school soon had a change of heart following pushback. The embezzlement helped to fuel her gambling habit. Maryland man, 52, sues bar over ban cause he was old Missouri daughter secretly donates kidney to ailing dad. Local 10 News reported Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang of St.James Catholic School (both retiring earlier this year) using money from the school's funds to live a life of luxury over the last ten years. 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. Kreuper is due in court on 1 July and faces up to 40 years in federal prison. 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 . 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 . 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.". The principal allegedly withheld some of the checks and deposited them into the other account, endorsing the back with a stamp that read, St. 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". Pic: St James Catholic School. 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. 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. All rights reserved. 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.". Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper used tuition fees and donations to a California Catholic school to subsidize her casino expenses. During his sentencing, Wright, a 2007 appointee under President George W. Bush, praised Kreuper for her tenure as one heck of a teacher at the school. In these records you will find the most recent and the most authoritative articles on the topics, people and events that are shaping the . Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. In June 2021, Mary Margaret Kreuper, a Catholic nun in the Los Angeles congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, entered into a plea agreement with the U.S. District Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, whereby she committed to pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering, and admitted taking part in a 10-year scheme to defraud St. James' Catholic School, an elementary school in Torrance, California, where she had served as principal for 28 years, to the amount of $835,000. ", Church says nuns embezzled from SoCal school to cover Vegas gambling tripswww.youtube.com. However, the church chose not to press charges against the two nuns. Kreuper also admitted to falsifying monthly and annual reports to the school administration in an effort to cover up the embezzlement. 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 Torrancepair used the money for vacations and gambling at the casino while telling parents that the school was on a tight budget. But. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, was sentenced to a year in prison and ordered to pay $825,338 in restitution. After much public outcry to pursue legal action, the archdiocese hired a former FBI agent to investigate the two nuns. 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. Monday's case, however, does not involve trained and ordained ministers of the faith. But as the archdiocese was completing its audit, it noticed something was off with the funding. (deployads = window.deployads || []).push({}); (function() { Kreuper was principal at the school for 28 years. Mary Margaret Kreuper (Image source: KTTV-TV video screenshot). Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, who was principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California, used the school funds to . Kreuper belongs to the order of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. Kreuper originally pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering back in 2021. According to prosecutors, Kreuper had stolen whats estimated to have been the tuition for 14 students at the K-8 school in funds that were intended to further the students education, not fund [Kreupers] lifestyle., When confronted, the defendant admitted to stealing the money, Kumar said. znscr.parentNode.insertBefore(zergnet, znscr); Mr Kumar said that jealousy played a part, calling the episode "really an abuse of position of trust". The Rev. After taking a vow of poverty, her excuse for lavish gambling expenses is hilarious. I, for one, absolutely love this move. "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 pair said in a joint statement. The sisters, described as best friends, both retired earlier this year. She is looking forward to getting on with life and will get treatment for her gambling addiction, he said. She betrayed the trust of people in the community, the parents, students, the archdiocese and the sisters. Prosecutors had recommended a 24-month prison sentence, three years of . "I have sinned," Sister Mary told a US . 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. Were those functions to be considered ministerial, Fisher says, the results would be dire. 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. 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 . Kreuper was in charge of the schools credit union account, where she was meant to deposit cash and checks from tuition, fees and donations. When Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper became a nun, she took vows to live as Jesus did through chastity, obedience and service to the poor, sick and uneducated. The exception extends to religiously affiliated institutions when they fire employees who serve in a religious capacity akin to that of a minister. 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 defraudingSt. James Catholic Schoolover a period of 10 years. He added, Its not meant as an excuse. She claimed that the salary differential between nuns and priests meant she was owed this money, which is inconsistent with the vow of poverty she took.. 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, a former principal at St James Catholic School in Torrance, California, used tuition fees and donations to subsidize casino gambling expenses and credit card. However, around the same time, a family at the school asked for an old check they had written to St. James. But this week, prosecutors said Sister Mary Margaret, 79, had agreed to plead guilty to stealing more than. 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 . We do know that they had a pattern of going on trips. Dan Mac Guill is a former writer for Snopes. 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. 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. 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. BroBible is the #1 place on the internet for the very best content from the worlds of sports, culture, gear, high tech, and more. The St. James Catholic Church school in Torrance, California, on February 7, 2022. "Far from it. Apparently, the Vegas trips were common knowledge, but the nuns explained that the gambling excursions were gifts from a rich uncle. Is A Hot Dog A Sandwich? She claimed that she was fired after she told her superior, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. A spokesperson with St. James did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Kreuper pleaded guilty last July. 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. She's obviously not employable.". This material may not be reproduced without permission. Sister Mary is not full of grace. For more information about our use of cookies, our collection, use, and disclosure of personal information generally, and any rights you may have to access, delete, or opt out of the sale of your personal information, please view our, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Nun who stole $835K from school to fund gambling habit is going to prison: I have sinned, Carolyn Hax: Boyfriends visits leave single mom with no time for herself, Miss Manners: What to do when a fellow diner was rude to server. Prosecutors said that she had also instructed school employees to alter and destroy financial records. 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. Rather, he said, she is religiously trained and a commissioned minister of the church. She was the principal and had been colluding with longtime teacher Sister Lana Chang on the operation, per the Daily Breeze. (RNS) Recently Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, a Catholic nun who stole $835,000 from a Catholic elementary school in Torrance, California, was sent to prison for a year and ordered to pay the . The Daily Caller | 1775 Eye Street NW | Suite 1150-290 | Washington, DC 20006. Rassbach will tell the Supreme Court that not everyone who works at a religious school or institution is exempt from these laws. Poonam Kumar, the assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California who prosecuted the case, told The Washington Post that Kreuper had diverted checks and cash from St. James parents into a long-overlooked church account to pay for large gambling expenses incurred at casinos and certain credit-card charges. The actions were done before the money could be accounted for, displaying repetitive and deceptive behavior, over and over again, the prosecutor said. var znscr = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; In a statement to The Washington Post, Kreupers lawyers said she is very remorseful and sorry for any harm she has caused. The first teacher, Agnes Morrissey-Berru, claimed her employment contract was not renewed after 16 years service because of illegal age discrimination. The account was opened in 1997 but had not been used in years, until Sister Mary Margaret started diverting checks into the forgotten account. They dont want you to see this Big Tech does its best to limit what news you see. Kreuper as the school's principal, handled all tuition payments, with the sister depositing checks into a separate . These nuns took a vow of poverty and said, Oh no, weve got a rich uncle, parent Jack Alexander said. Despite the ongoing thefts, financial statements revealed the church continuing to operate in the black as the two sisters clandestinely plowed through church funds. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com. When first confronted, Mr Kumar said, the nun claimed she "did it in part because she believes priests get paid better than nuns". For the second time in as many weeks, the U.S. Supreme Court is tackling a major religion case. 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. Kreuper did not recognize she had a gambling problem until she was accused of embezzling more than $835,000 from the school, Byrne said. The purpose is to protect leaders of the faith, and their religions, from interference by the government. Kreuper was 18 years old when she took her vow of poverty, according to her lawyers, and spent the next 59 years of her life dedicated to the church. They and their Order pray that you have not lost trust or faith in the educators and administrators of the school. In a statement to the Washinton Post her attorneys, Mark A. Byrne and Daniel V. Nixon, said she is very remorseful and sorry for any harm she has caused.. St. James teacher Lana Chang admitted along with Kreuper to the embezzlement in 2018, following each of their retirements earlier that year. She would endorse the checks with a stamp saying St. "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. 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 . 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. Claiming mental illness at her age is a play for probation or the ability to serve her sentence at home. 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. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, a former principal at St James Catholic School in Torrance, California, used tuition fees and donations to subsidize casino gambling expenses and credit card payments, the authorities said. James School.. Get the news that matters most delivered directly to your inbox. The pair confessed to using the funds for gambling excursions to Las Vegas and other spending sprees. 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. According to prosecutors, Kreuper admitted that she 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.. Archdiocese hired a former FBI agent to investigate the two nuns one parent told the Press-Telegram vacations gambling. Fraud and one count of wire fraud and one count of money charges... 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