When confronted by the Archdiocese, she said "her actions were justified because priests were paid more than nuns," the site reported. She was the principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance for 28 years. We do know they had a pattern of going to casinos, and the reality is, they used the account as their personal account," an attorney told the crowd at the meeting. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, of Los Angeles, was charged today with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. '', 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. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), She diverted tuition to a secret account, which she used to fund casino trips, prosecutors said. And I don't look at nuns as ordinary people. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('impressionViewable', function(event) { eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), 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. She was sentenced to prison on Monday, February 7, 2022, for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from the school funds. 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.. I have sinned, Kreuper said during a Monday teleconference, according to The New York Daily News. 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. The Los Angeles Times reports Mary Margaret Kreuper, former principal of St. James Catholic School, was facing 40 years in prison but was sentenced to a year and a day on Monday. Kreuper was part of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet order, which Newsweek has contacted for comment. 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. Mary Margaret Kreuper had been principal at St. James Catholic School, where Sr. Lana Chang had been a teacher. But Phil Rhilinger, who with his wife, Debby, sent five kids to St. James, called on Wright to impose the maximum sentence up to 20 years for each of the two crimes. Kreuper pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and . 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. }); ga('ads.send', { 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. As part of her role as the head of the institution, Kreuper oversaw all funds the school received for tuition fees and charitable donations. United States Attorneys Office A nun who stole $835,000 from the Catholic primary school where she served as principal for 28 years, was sentenced Monday to a year in federal prison. After reviewing all the letters, Wright said, it appeared most families had forgiven Kreuper. 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. Sister Mary Margaret, 77, was a pillar of the community who spent 29 years as the principal of St. James Catholic School. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, admitted to stealing the money from 2008 to 2018 while she was principal at St. James Catholic School in the LA suburb of Torrance. She is very sorry for any harm she has caused.''. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper is an 80-year-old nun from Torrance and a former principal of St. James Catholic School. Urgent needs call us to bold conversation and prophetic action. We, and those who share our charism and mission, are motivated in all things by our profound love of God and our dear neighbors. Kreuper pleaded guilty in July 2021 to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. 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. if(document.querySelector("#ads")){ The embezzlement helped to fuel her gambling habit. Put simply, anyone who stole over $800,000 from a school would go to prison, your honor, Assistant U.S. Atty. After charges were filed, her attorneys issued a statement saying Sister Mary Margaret suffered "from mental illness that clouded her judgment and caused her to do something that she otherwise would not have done. Sr. Mary Margaret Kreuper, CSJ and Sr. Lana Chang, CSJ, who both retired this year from St. James Catholic School in Torrance, are alleged to have misappropriated nearly $500,000 from the school.. The family of Joseph includes many more than just the sisters. Kreuper controlled accounts at a credit union, including a savings account for the school and one established to pay the living expenses of nuns -- who had taken a vow of poverty -- employed by the school, prosecutors said. In July, she pleaded guilty to one count each of. 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. 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? Shes 80 years old. https://t.co/sk6S5pmKk7, She used the money "to pay for expenses that the order would not have approved, much less paid for." 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 . Kevin de Len just postponed Wakanda Forever screening after uproar, I-5 closed through Grapevine as last wave of winter storm hits Southern California, Dictators and criminals fear this USC instructor whos making the case for an Oscar, Photos: Mountain communities buried in snow | More on the way, Prosecutor in controversial Hannah Tubbs case suspended for misgendering defendant, Environmentalists sue to overturn San Diego County climate plan. He is a priest in the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and a former president of the Canadian Canon Law Society. 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. St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California. I got exactly what I paid for. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! I was wrong, and I am profoundly sorry for the pain and the suffering that I have caused so many people, she told Wright. ", The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet to which the Chang and Kreuper belonged to had released a statement after their scheme came to light in 2018. 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.. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, from Los Angeles faces up to 40 years in federal prison for embezzling funds for over 10 years from St. James Catholic School in Torrance.. Kreuper had recently retired, which automatically triggered an audit that found irregularities, . Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. By Megan Carpentier The St. James Catholic Church school in Torrance, California, on February 7, 2022. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Bannon along with Philip Esformes, 52, a businessman from Florida, who was sentenced for orchestrating a $1B Medicare fraud scheme, spent New Year's Eve as a free man They were part of Trump's long list of pardons and commutations granted to more than 200 convicts in the final days of his presidency. A nun has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $835,000 in school funds, which she spent on gambling and other expenses. At least I hope you do.. 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. "I don't have to worry about b.s. The Sisters of St. Joseph both desire and intend to make complete restitution to St. James School. ga('create', 'UA-67136960-15', 'auto', 'ads'); The two embezzling sisters are Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, entered her plea to wire fraud and money laundering charges, which . As far as parent Kevin Kearnswas concerned, there were no hard feelings about the embezzlement. We, and those who share our charism and mission. IE 11 is not supported. The archdiocese did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment. 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. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, of Los Angeles, was charged last month with one count each of wire fraud and money laundering for embezzling the money over the span of 10 years, up until 2018, the . 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. TORRANCE, Calif. (CNS) -- The retired principal of a Catholic elementary school in Torrance who embezzled more than $835,000 in school funds to support a gambling habit was sentenced to one year and a day in prison on Monday. Diverting embezzled funds into secret accounts, Kreuper used the money "to pay for expenses that the order would not have approved, much less paid for,'' including large gambling expenses and trips to Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe and Temecula, according to her plea agreement. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), 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. Author of the article: 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 Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper (CBS News) In a statement, the Archdiocese said they informed law enforcement of the misappropriated school funds after she announced her retirement in 2018. We seek to build communities and bridge divides between people. 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. Assistant United States Attorney Poonam G Kumar of the Major Frauds Section is prosecuting the case. Over the course of the scheme, Kreuper admitted to causing $825,339 in losses to St. James Catholic School. "I don't look at nuns as ordinary people," he said, according to FOX 6. 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. The revelation came as a rude shock to parents who were led to believe that school was struggling to stay afloat because of a lack of funds. Sister Mary Margaret became a nun when she turned 18 in 1960 and took a vow of poverty. 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