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. According to The New York Post, for the past three and a half years, Kreuper has been under house arrest. The Sisters of St. Joseph both desire and intend to make complete restitution to St. James School. Of course, none of her control legitimately extended to using school funds for large gambling expenses incurred at casinos and certain credit card charges, but that is what Kreuper did. As soon as she was confronted, she accepted full responsibility for what she had done and she has cooperated fully with law enforcement and the Archdiocese. media-tech companies with hubs around the world. Viveca Tokatlian, whose son is now a senior at the University of San Diego and was once student in Chang's eighth-grade class, said she was shocked and disappointed by the news. 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.. window.googletag.cmd.push(function() { ", 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.". Ciaran McEvoy Until this last spring, Kreuper was the principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance and Chang was its vice . Mary Margaret Kreuper admitted to stealing the money from 2008 to 2018 while she was principal at St. James Catholic School in the LA suburb of Torrance. }) Urgent needs call us to bold conversation and prophetic action. Unfortunately, later in her life she has been suffering from a mental illness that clouded her judgement and caused her to do something that she otherwise would not have done. They declined to go into further detail about any illness their client may have been diagnosed with, according to a report by Daily Breeze. Kreuper controlled accounts at a credit union, including a savings account for the school and one established to pay the . Since our first sisters gathered in 1650, our members have been called to do all things of which women are capable. The first sisters of our congregation arrived in St. Louis, Missouri in 1836, and we now have additional locations in St. Paul, Albany, Los Angeles, Hawaii, Japan and Peru. gads_event = event; 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. "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. 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. 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. Sisters Mary Margaret Kreuper and Lana Chang, who worked at St. James Catholic School in Torrance, allegedly embezzled half a million dollars and used it for trips and gambling. },false) I was wrong and Im profoundly sorry for the pain and suffering Ive caused so many people.. St. James Catholic School Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper embezzled $835,339 in the school's tuition, fees, and charitable donations for her personal expenses. 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. Kreuper is also accused of directing St. James School employees to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit. This is merely an explanation.. document.querySelector("#adunit").addEventListener('click',function(){ The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet are a congregation of Catholic sisters. was part of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet order, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. She also controlled accounts at a credit union, including a savings account for the school and one used to pay for the living expenses of the nuns employed by the school. Sisters Mary Margaret Kreuper and Lana Chang, the former a former principal at St. James Catholic School in Torrance, Los Angeles County, confessed to stealing $500,000 from the school to fund . 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. Kreuper pleaded guilty in July 2021 to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, entered her plea to wire fraud and money laundering charges, which . However, her arrangement came to light following a 2018 financial review after her retirement. The two embezzling sisters are Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang. 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. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotOnload', function(event) { Sister Mary took responsibility for her actions by pleading guilty. The total losses Kreuper caused to St. James Catholic School were $835,339. 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. 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 . Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. document.querySelector("#ads").addEventListener('click',function(){ ", In a statement, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles said that: "The community of faith at St. James was shocked and saddened by these actions.". Kreuper, as a nun, had taken a vow of poverty and diverted school funds into the St. James Convent Account and the St. James Savings Account. ", Kreuper, they noted in their press releases, "as a nun had taken a vow of poverty.". ", 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 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. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Our community is concerned and saddened by this situation and regret any injury to our long relationship with the families of the school. "They were just such staunch defenders of moral fortitude, they were really tough on the kids," she said. 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. 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. Pursuant to her position and title, Kreuper had legitimate control of the schools money for tuition and fees as well as donations. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! if(document.querySelector("#adunit")){ "Unfortunately . Poonam Kumar told the judge. Emailus. 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 investigation into this matter is being conducted by the Torrance Police Department, the FBI, and IRS Criminal Investigation. Kreuper allegedly held on to some of the checks and deposited them into a separate bank account than the one used by the school. In July, she pleaded guilty to one count each of. Kreuper is also accused of directing St. James employees to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admitted embezzling $835,000 from St James Catholic School in the LA suburb of Torrance. Prior to her sentencing, the nun had already been placed under several restrictions by the order of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. California nun, 79, to admit to stealing $835K from school funds. 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 fraud for embezzling nearly $835,000 from school funds. 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. ciaran.mcevoy@usdoj.gov Kreuper also directed St. James School employees to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit. Kreuper pleaded guilty in July 2021 to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. In court papers it was . . We seek to build communities and bridge divides between people. Michael Finnegan is a Los Angeles Times reporter covering federal courts and law enforcement. 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. 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. Have a tip we should know? One former student said Kreuper violated her trust and contributed to her decision to leave the Catholic Church. But somewhere along the line, you just ran completely off the road, and I think you understand that. },false) We need to send a message that embezzling and betraying is not OK no matter who you are, no matter what your age or circumstance, Rhilinger told the judge. 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. window.adsContainer = {"positionAfterTitle":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle5_Rel_Newrev","isOrganicUserAd":true,"max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position2":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_After_Title_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position3":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Below_Next_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position4":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position5":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle1_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position6":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle2_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position7":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle3_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position8":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle4_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position9":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle5_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position10":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle6_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position11":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle7_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position12":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle8_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position13":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle9_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position14":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle10_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position15":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle11_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position16":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle12_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"positionTop":{"code":"Article_Desktop_970x250_Header_Rel","isOrganicUserAd":false,"max_width":970,"max_height":250},"positionBottom":{"code":"Article_Desktop_Sidebar_Bottom_Rel_Newrev","isOrganicUserAd":true,"max_width":300,"max_height":600},"positionBottomRight":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_After_Title_Rel_Newrev","isOrganicUserAd":true,"max_width":336,"max_height":280}} Lock 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 for stealing more than $835,000 in school funds to pay for personal expenses, including gambling trips, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. Today, she has been held accountable by the United States criminal justice system. While at the organization, she was responsible for the money the school received to pay for tuition and fees as well as charitable donations. He previously covered state and national politics, including the 2020 presidential campaign. Retired nun Mary Margaret Kreuper, admitted to stealing money from St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California. MEAWW brings you the best content from its global team of ga('ads.send', { / KCAL News. At the prosecutors request, the judge later lowered the amount by $10,000 to account for what she has already repaid. 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. For 10 years until September 2018, prosecutors say she bilked the facility for money. 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 eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), IE 11 is not supported. 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, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement. Mary Margaret Kreuper was the principal of the elementary school for 28 years. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, was also ordered to pay $825,338 in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. hitType: 'event', "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. 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. In conjunction with the criminal information, prosecutors filed a plea . The retired principal of a Catholic elementary school in Torrance, who as a nun took a vow of poverty, pleaded guilty Thursday to federal charges that she embezzled more than $835,000 in school funds to support a gambling habit. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Kreuper acknowledged that for a period of 10 years ending in September 2018, she embezzled $835,339 from St. James Catholic School. 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. Chang and Kreuper's scheme was exposed after an internal auditor confirmed the church's suspicions. As principal a position she held for 28 years Kreuper was responsible for the money the school received to pay for tuition and fees, as well as for charitable donations. ga('ads.send', { The school became aware of the alleged embezzlement in a routine audit when one of the nuns retired as the school's principal. "They and their Order pray that you have not lost trust or faith in the educators and administrators of the school. Check out an array of spirituality resources. Love of God is at the heart of our charism. However, the nun started diverting the money into secret accounts in 2008 to fund her gambling habits and personal credit card charges. 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. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Meyers said he then notified the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, who in turn hired an independent forensic auditor to perform a review. Kreuper's crimes occurred during her role as the school's principal, a position from which she retired in 2018. The Torrance Police Department, the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation in this matter. In a memo to the judge, prosecutors cited letters from parents and students, including one from a 12-year-old saying Kreuper was just like any other robber.. "I don't have to worry about b.s. 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.. 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