Prosecutors alleged that she was also responsible for controlling credit union accounts, including a savings account for the school and another account to pay the living expenses of nuns hired by the institution. The nun served as the principal of the elementary school for nearly 28 years until her retirement in 2018. Church monsignor Michael Myers addressed a crowd of a few hundred people saying the archdiocese had launched an investigation into the matter after Kreuper became "very nervous and very anxious" about her financial review and asked for records to be altered. She was sentenced to prison on Monday, February 7, 2022, for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from the school funds. Sister Lana, her 67-year-old accomplice, worked there for 20 years as. 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 Torrance Police Department, the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation in this matter. Earlier in January this year, former president Donald Trump pardoned Steve Bannon who was facing a federal case when he was charged with defrauding donors of more than a million dollars as part of a fundraising campaign to build the US-Mexico border wall. Prosecutors had recommended a 24-month prison sentence, three years of. 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. Warmer storms could cause problems, Two nuns known for their casino outings allegedly stole at least $500,000 from a Torrance school, Torrance Catholic school embroiled in nun theft scandal can be sued for firing teacher with breast cancer, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, Shocking, impossible gas bills push restaurants to the brink of closures, Im visiting all 600 L.A. spots on the National Register. After reviewing all the letters, Wright said, it appeared most families had forgiven Kreuper. Kreuper pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and . Official websites use .gov 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 Tahoe. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. 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 . let gads_event; By Megan Carpentier The St. James Catholic Church school in Torrance, California, on February 7, 2022. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. Documents state, Kreuper 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.. First published on June 8, 2021 / 8:30 PM. Kreuper, who had taken a vow of poverty, admitted in the plea agreement to diverting school funds into the St. James Convent account and the St. James savings account and then using 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. As far as parent Kevin Kearnswas concerned, there were no hard feelings about the embezzlement. 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. attorney's. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, of Los Angeles, was sentenced Monday to one year and one day for fraud and money laundering charges. While at the organization, she was responsible for the money the school received to pay for tuition and fees as well as charitable donations. MEAWW is an initialism for Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide. Officials said Kreuper and Chang used a large portion of the stolen funds for "personal gains" and "recycled" some of it back into the school, the Press-Telegram reported. } 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. Our community is deeply saddened by the pain and difficulty Sister Marys actions have caused for the parents, administration, staff and students of St. James School in Redondo Beach, California and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison and ordered to pay $825,338 in restitution, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Parent and former school secretaryCheryl Hugo reportedly called Kreupers actions an abuse of power in every possible way.. She doesnt have any money. 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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. She was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison in addition to . They and their order pray that you have not lost trust or faith in the educators and administrators of the school. She diverted tuition to a secret account, which she used to fund casino trips, prosecutors said. 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. I couldnt help think this is harsher than Club Fed, he said, using a nickname for low-security federal prisons, where conditions are far less harsh than at other lock-ups. Please logout and login again. She convinced school administration into thinking everything was on the up and up. 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, she said. Officials said she would alter the checks by endorsing them with a stamp that read "St. James Convent" instead of "St. James School.". For three years, Byrne told the judge, the nuns in her order have kept her under severe restrictions at a convent. Emailus. Assistant United States Attorney Poonam G Kumar of the Major Frauds Section is prosecuting the case. Love of God is at the heart of our charism. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. 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. I have sinned, Kreuper said during a Monday teleconference, according to The New York Daily News. Assistant US Attorney Poonam Kumar told The New York Post that Kreuper even asked parents to donate more money in addition to their $6,000 annual fees. An indictment was unsealed today charging Terren S. Peizer, the CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ontrak Inc., a Henderson, Nevada-based publicly traded health care company, for A Carson man who was a central figure in an international fraud and money-laundering network that targeted $25 million through a variety of frauds including romance scams and elder A former executive at cinema subscription service MoviePass Inc. has been arrested on a federal grand jury indictment alleging he embezzled approximately $260,000 from MoviePass parent company to repay money Central District of California 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. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Sisters of St. Joseph of CarondeletFebruary 7, 2022February 14, 2022. Suite 1200 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. Mary Margaret Kreuper admitted to taking the money from St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California, over a period of 10 years, ending in September 2018. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. The 79-year-old Los Angeles resident was charged Tuesday with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Prosecutors say that Kreuper who served as the principal of St. James' school for 28 years prior to her 2018 arrest began embezzling money from the school in 2008 when she was around 66 years old. 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. Over the course of the scheme, Kreuper admitted to causing $825,339 in losses to St. James Catholic School. ga('ads.send', { When an audit threatened to expose the scheme, Kreuper instructed St. James employees to destroy documents. '', Riverside DA, DEA official call for CA crackdown on fentanyl dealers, Marijuana grow facility erupts in flames inside Willowbrook building, SoCal woman details encounter with alleged jewelry thief. 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 . 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We, and those who share our charism and mission, are motivated in all things by our profound love of God and our dear neighbors. 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 . 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. Chang was a teacher for about 20 years and also recently served as vice principal. Shes 80 years old. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, admitted stealing $835,000 while principal of an LA-area school. The archdiocese did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), document.querySelector("#ads").addEventListener('click',function(){ Minyvonne Burkeis a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News. 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. When the Archdiocese of Los Angeles first confronted Kreuper about her misconduct, she argued that priests are better paid than nuns, and said she believed she deserved a raise, according to the government. Most of the funds she blew on gambling trips to Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe with. The two embezzling sisters are Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang. Check out an array of spirituality resources. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. 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.. Wright also said that as someone who had been educated by nuns, "unlike most cases, this one will be a struggle.". } In court papers it was . Prior to her sentencing, the nun had already been placed under several restrictions by the order of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. 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. We pray that in time those impacted will find healing and the seeds of forgiveness. Kreuper is also accused of directing St. James School employees to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit. Now hes under review, Blizzard conditions close major highways and roads in Lake Tahoe area, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Dramatic before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Yet more rain expected to hit California in March. Two Catholic school nuns accused of embezzling about a half-million dollars in tuition, fees and donations from a school allegedly used some of the money to gamble in Las Vegas, according to officials cited in a news report. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admits to stealing over $835k from a Catholic School. eventAction: 'click_adunit' U.S. District Judge Otis D . Your login session has expired. U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II said that Kreuper was one heck of a teacher but she ran completely off the road in her life. 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