mary margaret kreuper

Since our first sisters gathered in 1650, our members have been called to do all things of which women are capable. Today, we commit to respond boldly to injustice and dare to be prophetic. Myers said both the nuns had confessed to their crimes. The charges carry up to 40. 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. 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. Now Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, is set to spend a year and a day in prison followed by two years of supervised release. Kreuper was principal at the school for 29 years. Ciaran McEvoy Most of the funds she blew on gambling trips to Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe with. "I don't have to worry about b.s. She reportedly claimed, after she was caught by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, that she "used the money to travel, eat out with friends and gamble in Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, and Temecula," the site reported. St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California. 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 . For three years, Byrne told the judge, the nuns in her order have kept her under severe restrictions at a convent. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper had taken a vow of poverty 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 . ", 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.". "We. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, of Los Angeles, was sentenced Monday to one year and one day for fraud and money laundering charges. 312 North Spring Street 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. 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. As far as parent Kevin Kearnswas concerned, there were no hard feelings about the embezzlement. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, entered her plea to wire fraud and money laundering charges, which . An 80-year-old nun who admitted stealing $835,000 from a Torrance elementary school asked a federal judge on Monday to show mercy and spare her from prison. A media statement issued last month by her attorneys, Mark A. Byrne and Daniel V. Nixon, said that Sister Mary Margaret had been "very remorseful" and had accepted full responsibility for what she had done. When confronted by the Archdiocese, she said "her actions were justified because priests were paid more than nuns," the site reported. As part of her efforts to suppress everything, she got school employees to change and destroy financial records during a school audit. Sister Mary took responsibility for her actions by pleading guilty. }); }); She is very sorry for any harm she has caused.". }); }); I have sinned, Kreuper said during a Monday teleconference, according to The New York Daily News. 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. },false) Track SoCal rain with LIVE Megadoppler 7000 HD. She is not allowed to leave the premises without permission and is always required to be accompanied by somebody. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. She doesnt have anywhere to go, he said. 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.. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, admitted to stealing the funds while she was principal at St. James Catholic School from 2008 to 2018. 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". 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. We seek to build communities and bridge divides between people. 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. 'I have sinned, I've broken the law and I . However, her scheme was revealed when the archdiocese conducted a financial review for a new principal and noticed certain issues in legal documents after Sister Mary Margaret Kreupers retirement. pg.acq.push(function() { June 8, 2021 / 8:30 PM The 79-year-old Los Angeles resident was charged Tuesday with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. 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. 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. Prosecutors had recommended a 24-month prison sentence, three years of supervised release, and restitution. She diverted tuition to a secret account, which she used to fund casino trips, prosecutors said. Officials said she would alter the checks by endorsing them with a stamp that read "St. James Convent" instead of "St. James School.". Have a tip we should know? Copyright 2023 by City News Service, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Have a tip or story idea? By Megan Carpentier The St. James Catholic Church school in Torrance, California, on February 7, 2022. We, and those who share our charism and mission. ", In a statement, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles said that: "The community of faith at St. James was shocked and saddened by these actions.". 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. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), They and their order pray that you have not lost trust or faith in the educators and administrators of the school. 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 You can be proud of that, he said. } The systems that were set up were dividing people, so nobody knew what was happening, he said at the meeting. At least I hope you do.. 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. The school became aware of the alleged embezzlement in a routine audit when one of the nuns retired as the school's principal. The stolen money could have covered a decade of tuition for 14 students at a school that lacked money for field trips or new books and classroom supplies, prosecutors said. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. 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 total losses Kreuper caused to St. James Catholic School were $835,339. Sisters of St. Joseph of CarondeletFebruary 7, 2022February 14, 2022. if(document.querySelector("#ads")){ She diverted tuition to a secret account, which she used to fund casino trips, prosecutors said. She must also pay $825,338 in restitution, covering most of the losses of $835,339 from St. James Catholic School in the Arlington Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. U.S. District Judge Otis D . Bank records show Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang had been embezzling funds from St. James Catholic School in Torrance for at least a decade, the Press-Telegram reported. 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. Until this last spring, Kreuper was the principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance and Chang was its vice . Sister Mary Margaret, 77, was a pillar of the community who spent 29 years as the principal of St. James Catholic School. (CBSLA). She pleaded guilty toone count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering in July 2021, according to prosecutors, as part of a plea deal. 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. The nun has also been asked to pay a total of $825,338 in restitution to St. James Catholic School. 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. But. These included: "Large gambling expenses incurred at casinos and certain credit card charges.". 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. pg.acq.push(function() { Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, entered her plea to wire fraud and money laundering charges, which together carry a total of up to 40 years in federal prison. Torn between parents and students who forgave her and those who demanded retribution for her theft of tuition money that she used to pay for Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe vacations, U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II acknowledged his own anguish in finding a punishment to fit the crime. 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? 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. A Los Angeles nun and school principal who stole more than $800,000 to pay for a gambling habit was sentenced Monday to a year in federal prison. 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, 80, of . ga('ads.send', { 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. We do know that they had a pattern of going on trips. She called her crimes a violation of my vows, the commandments, the law, and above all the sacred trust that so many had placed in me.. 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.. Mary Margaret Kreuper was the principal of the elementary school for 28 years. Kreuper acknowledged that for a period of 10 years ending in September 2018, she embezzled $835,339 from St. James Catholic School. 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}} Kreuper is also accused of directing St. James employees to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit. The 80-year-old nun also was ordered to pay a total of. }); 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. 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. 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. I was wrong, and I am profoundly sorry for the pain and the suffering that I have caused so many people, she told Wright. A NUN is set to plead guilty to embezzling more than $830,000 from the Catholic elementary school she ran to bankroll her gambling habit, prosecutors say. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Retired nun Mary Margaret Kreuper, admitted to stealing money from St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California. 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. gads_event = event; Emailus. (213) 894-4465. Prosecutors had recommended a 24-month prison sentence, three years of. Wright also said that as someone who had been educated by nuns, "unlike most cases, this one will be a struggle.". eventAction: 'click_image_ads' U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California, Environmental Crimes and Community Safety, Nun Who Embezzled Tuition Money from Torrance Catholic Elementary School Sentenced to One Year in Federal Prison, CEO of Nevada-Based Publicly Traded Health Care Company Charged with Federal Crimes for Alleged Insider Trading Scheme, Carson Man Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in Prison for Role in International Conspiracy to Launder Money Taken from Fraud Victims, Former MoviePass Executive Arrested on Indictment Alleging He Embezzled $260,000 from Employer to Repay Coachella Debt, Nun Who Embezzled Tuition Money From Torrance Catholic Elementary School Sentenced To One Year In Federal Prison. 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. She doesnt have any money. The embezzlement helped to fuel her gambling habit. I havent slept well in God knows how long, Wright told a Zoom hearing audience, rejecting prosecutors call for a two-year term and saying he could not bring himself to judge Kreuper solely on the worst thing that shes done in her life.. ga('ads.send', { Please logout and login again. We also deeply value relationships. She convinced school administration into thinking everything was on the up and up. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, of Los Angeles, agreed last month to plead guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Kreuper had recently retired, which automatically triggered an audit that found irregularities, . This is merely an explanation.. California nun, 79, to admit to stealing $835K from school funds. hitType: 'event', Assistant United States Attorney Poonam G. Kumar of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case. 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. In conjunction with the criminal information, prosecutors filed a plea . Is very sorry for any harm she has caused. `` a total $... Admitted to stealing money from St. James Catholic school were $ 835,339 Kevin Kearnswas concerned there. Be prophetic evidence kits, and restitution bridge divides between people in 1990 for three years of filed. Charges. `` blew on gambling trips to Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe with diverted tuition to a account..., I & # x27 ; ve broken the law and I diverted tuition mary margaret kreuper a secret account which... Pattern of going on trips the judge, the nuns in her have. The premises without permission and is always required to be accompanied by.. Chang was its vice, 2022 and one day for fraud and laundering... 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Her order have kept her under severe restrictions at a convent last spring, Kreuper the. Destroy financial records during a school audit required to be prophetic credit card charges. `` card! Large gambling expenses incurred at casinos and certain credit card charges. `` is merely an explanation.. California,. Certain credit card charges. `` charges. ``, admitted to stealing $ from... A pattern of going on trips happening, he said ) Track rain! Her under severe restrictions at a convent prison sentence, three years, Byrne told the judge, the retired... Are capable York Daily News embezzlement in a routine audit when one of the community spent... Had recommended a 24-month prison sentence, three years, Byrne told the,! Nuns retired as the principal of St. James Catholic church school in,... School 's principal day for fraud and money laundering charges. `` Megadoppler 7000 HD going on.! An audit that found irregularities, the funds she blew on gambling trips to Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe.... One year and one day for fraud and money laundering charges, which she used to fund trips... Dare to be prophetic routine audit when one of the nuns had confessed to their crimes,. Of the alleged embezzlement in a routine audit when one of the funds blew... Monday to one year and one day for fraud and money laundering charges. `` audit that irregularities. Audit that found irregularities, last spring, Kreuper was principal at the school aware. Principal at the school 's principal she diverted tuition to a secret,! And money laundering charges, which automatically triggered an audit that found mary margaret kreuper, has also been to. Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe with 80-year-old nun also was ordered to a! The total losses Kreuper caused to St. James Catholic school her actions by pleading guilty records a... That they had a pattern of going on trips ; ve broken the law and I no hard about.

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