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 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. On. 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. 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. 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. The two announced their retirement at the same time and were on their way out in 2018. Trust shouldnt be broken like that., Others, such as Kevin Kearns, whose son had gone to the school, said the nun had put the students and parents above everything else., The church tells us to forgive those who have trespassed against us, Kearns said. 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. James School, before tapping the funds for personal use. There is another, and rather rich, twist to one of the cases before the court Monday. The Rev. The fraud was discovered after an internal investigation at the end of the same year. Kreuper originally pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering back in 2021. He added, Its not meant as an excuse. The nuns order says the woman are cooperating and intend to pay all of the money back in full. Sister Mary is not full of grace. Instead of sitting in the Supreme Court chamber, though, Biel, like the rest of us, will be at home listening. 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.". The rich uncle was the parents of the St. James students., The school monsignor has since sent out a letter in which the nuns asked that i convey to you the deep remorse they each feel for their actions and ask for your forgiveness and prayers.. Five of the nine justices hearing Monday's case attended Catholic secondary schools, and several of them have sent their children to parochial schools as well. 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 . 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. The Torrance Police Department, the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation into the allegations against Kreuper. Prosecutors say the nun also ordered school employees to alter and destroy financial records during the audit. These nuns took a vow of poverty and said, Oh no, weve got a rich uncle, parent Jack Alexander said. Dan Mac Guill is a former writer for Snopes. var znscr = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; 2022 Blaze Media LLC. 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. 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.. 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 . Kreuper belongs to the order of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. zergnet.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? (Shutterstock) LOS ANGELES, CA The retired principal of a Catholic . Kreuper became principal at St. James Catholic School in 1990, a position she held for 28 years until her retirement in September 2018. During the time period this was happening, she had no idea this was happening. Her embezzlement activities took place from about 2008-2018. Prosecutors had recommended a 24-month prison sentence, three years of . Meyers reported it to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, who hired their own auditor. Kreuper did not recognize she had a gambling problem until she was accused of embezzling more than $835,000 from the school, Byrne said. 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. The now-retired nun (I didnt know nuns could retire) admitted to stealing about $835,000 in donations, tuition and fees. It was only after she vacated her position that school officials unearthed her fraudulent scheme. She betrayed the trust of people in the community, the parents, students, the archdiocese and the sisters. German cardinal offers to resign over sexual abuse catastrophe, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. The scheme was uncovered during an audit after Kreuper retired in 2018. The vow leads a nun to imitate Jesus, who for our sake became poor, although he was rich. In December of that year, fraud allegations emerged against her and another nun, Sister Lana Chang, who had taught at the school. Sister Lana Chang, a vice principal who was initially implicated in the scheme, was not charged. This large chunk of stolen money came as the St. James Catholic School was operating under tight budgets with small concerns that the finances could not continue to keep the door open. 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. 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. 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. The Daily Caller | 1775 Eye Street NW | Suite 1150-290 | Washington, DC 20006. When Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper was 18 years old, she vowed to dedicate her life to the education of children and helping those in need. Monday's case, however, does not involve trained and ordained ministers of the faith. Advice for the relationships in your life and how to boost your own well-being. In her plea agreement, Sister Mary Margaret confirmed that the stolen money was used for credit card charges and large gambling expenses incurred at casinos. the U.S. attorneys office said. Is A Hot Dog A Sandwich? 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. His findings unraveled the entire scheme and, eventually, federal charges were levied against Sister Mary Margaret. My actions were in violation of my vows, my commandments, the law and, above all, the sacred trust that so many had placed in me. Claiming mental illness at her age is a play for probation or the ability to serve her sentence at home. It's very disturbing. Mary Margaret Kreuper (Image source: KTTV-TV video screenshot). Kreuper retired as principal of St. James' Catholic School in 2018, after holding that position for 28 years. 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. He argued that while the money she stole might have affected the schools funding, her actions didnt decrease the quality of education students received at St. James. 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. "She doesn't have anywhere to go," he said. 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.. Shes very, very remorseful and very ashamed, he said. 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. This article was published more than1 year ago. Sister Kreuper who took a vow of poverty confessed to using the embezzled funds to pay for personal expenses, including her gambling habit. "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. In these records you will find the most recent and the most authoritative articles on the topics, people and events that are shaping the . 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. Sister Mary Margarets lawyers said that she is very remorseful, and has been suffering from a mental illness that clouded her judgement and caused her to do something that she otherwise would not have done.. This was a manifestation of greed, Kumar said, adding that the nun had abused the trust of the community. As outlined in her plea agreement, beginning in 2008, Kreuper began depositing tuition checks and donations into the school's account and then diverted the money into the covenant account. 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. 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. They and their Order pray that you have not lost trust or faith in the educators and administrators of the school. The exception extends to religiously affiliated institutions when they fire employees who serve in a religious capacity akin to that of a minister. Michael Meyers, the pastor at St. James Church. Kristen Biel would return to teaching elsewhere while fighting her case in court, but in June 2019, she died. (RELATED: Nuns Allegedly Stole Catholic School Funds For Years: Report). Around the same time, a St. James parent asked question at a school meeting about an old tuition check that had an endorsement on the back of check that did not line up with the schools primary account, the prosecutor said. Sister Mary Margaret became a nun when she turned 18 in 1960 and took a vow of poverty. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admits to stealing over $835k from a Catholic School. Kreuper as the schools principal, handled all tuition payments, with the sister depositing checks into a separate account that she and Chang had access to. Recap: Court Weighs Whether Religious Schools Can Fire Lay Workers, Listen Live: Supreme Court Arguments Schedule, Top 5 Moments From The Supreme Court's 1st Week Of Livestreaming Arguments, Fervor Vs Compromise At Supreme Court Birth Control Arguments, Supreme Court Arguments A Tech Success, But Format Strangles Usual Give-And-Take, Supreme Court Considers Anti-Prostitution Pledge In HIV/AIDS Funding Case. 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. 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. We do know that they had a pattern of going on trips, we do know they had a pattern of going to casinos, and the reality is, they used the account as their personal account, Marge Graf, an attorney representing St. James, told a group of parents at a meeting in 2018. When staff members finally found the check, they realized that it was not deposited in a St. James account, but a different bank account. Although, formally speaking, Kreuper could face a punishment of up to 40 years in prison, it's unlikely she will receive such a long sentence. (deployads = window.deployads || []).push({}); (function() { Sister Mary Margaret was caught in 2018. The Greatest Food Debates Of All Time, Answered Pineapple On Pizza? She wanted more than she had.. (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 . Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, admitted stealing the money from St James Catholic School in the L.A. suburb of Torrance, where she was school principal for nearly 30 years. They have been removed from their residence, placed in a religious house under the supervision of community leadership, and their freedom of movement is confined.". A Los Angeles nun jailed for stealing more than $800,000 to fund a gambling habit has admitted "I have sinned". We do know that they had a pattern of going on trips. 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). Her husband, Darryl Biel, remembers that day vividly. Kumar said the nuns instruction to the auditors sparked suspicion, and they reported the incident to Msgr. Kreuper was principal at the school for 28 years. In 2012, the Supreme Court sought to answer that question, agreeing unanimously that a fourth-grade teacher who was commissioned as a minister could not sue over her firing by a Lutheran school. They say she also instructed employees at the school to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit, investigators found. Each of the counts carries a maximum sentence of 40 years behind bars. Ultimately, "they are not people we understand to be spiritual leaders of the church.". You can be proud of that, he said. But she appreciates the outpouring of support shes received from people who have decided that rather to judge her on these actions toward the end of her career and life, theyve taken her whole life into consideration.. When this was going on, she was not nearly as old. LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) Mary Margaret Kreuper, a now-retired nun who was the principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance, has agreed to plead guilty to fraud and money laundering charges. One parent told the outlet of the situation: "It's crazy. 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. Despite the ongoing thefts, financial statements revealed the church continuing to operate in the black as the two sisters clandestinely plowed through church funds. Mr Kumar said that jealousy played a part, calling the episode "really an abuse of position of trust". Kreuper as the school's principal, handled all tuition payments, with the sister depositing checks into a separate . 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. For decades, lower courts have recognized an exception to the nation's employment laws for ministers. 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