mary margaret kreuper

Julija Garunkstis, who attended the small school of three stucco and red-brick buildings from 2005 to 2014, told the judge about the fear that Kreuper instilled in children when they misbehaved. 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. As part of her efforts to suppress everything, she got school employees to change and destroy financial records during a school audit. 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. (213) 894-4465. LOS ANGELES A nun who was the principal of a Catholic elementary school in Torrance was sentenced today to 12 months and one day in federal prison for stealing more than $835,000 in school funds to pay for personal expenses, including gambling trips. Have a tip or story idea? Poonam Kumar told the judge. Kreuper is also accused of directing St. James School employees to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit. Ive broken the law and I have no excuses. She even attempted to destroy documents when an audit nearly exposed her arrangement. Put simply, anyone who stole over $800,000 from a school would go to prison, your honor, Assistant U.S. Atty. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, entered her plea to wire fraud and money laundering charges, which . Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admits to stealing over $835k from a Catholic School. She said that she falsified monthly and annual reports to cover up her actions to assure the school's administration that its financial assets were in safe hands. Mary Margaret Kreuper was the principal of the elementary school for 28 years. 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 in prison on Monday. A nun has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $835,000 in school funds, which she spent on gambling and other expenses. In conjunction with the criminal information, prosecutors filed a plea . 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. These included: "Large gambling expenses incurred at casinos and certain credit card charges.". One former student said Kreuper violated her trust and contributed to her decision to leave the Catholic Church. Online prison records do not yet show Kreuper in federal custody. }); ga('ads.send', { MEAWW is an initialism for Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), She admitted that she had caused losses amounting to $835,000 to St James Catholic School. gads_event = event; IE 11 is not supported. Retired nun Mary Margaret Kreuper, admitted to stealing money from St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California. As principal -- a position she had for nearly 30 years before she retired -- Kreuper was responsible for the money the school received to pay for tuition and fees, as well as for charitable donations, according to documents filed in Los Angeles federal court. 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. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), 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.. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. ga('ads.send', { Mary Margaret Kreuper was so close to getting away with it. Our community is concerned and saddened by this situation and regret any injury to our long relationship with the families of the school. }); LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Mary Margaret Kreuper, a now-retired nun and a Los Angeles resident was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering on Tuesday, June 8. Despite her nun's vow of poverty . Kreuper also directed St. James School employees to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit. "We. 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. document.querySelector("#ads").addEventListener('click',function(){ Kreuper promised to follow more closely in Christs footsteps and spend the rest of her life trying to make amends. 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. St. James Catholic School Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper embezzled $835,339 in the school's tuition, fees, and charitable donations for her personal expenses. A nun is pictured at Vatican's Gregorian University. "The Sisters have confirmed the misappropriation of funds and have cooperated in the investigation. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, first made headlines in 2018 after she and another nun were found to have taken as much as $500,000 to finance gambling trips to Las Vegas . 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.. 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 got exactly what I paid for. Some parents at her hearing said their children felt betrayed by her decision to take their tuition money. Prosecutors told the judge Kreuper deserved prison time for stealing parents checks to the school over and over and over again for a decade, then ordering staff to destroy records in a coverup. Lock 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. In a series of deeply personal remarks from the bench, Wright, 77, a Marine veteran and former deputy sheriff who has served as a federal judge for 15 years, said he owed where I am today in large part to a nun who inspired him early in life. 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 . Officials said she would alter the checks by endorsing them with a stamp that read "St. James Convent" instead of "St. James School.". Prosecutors filed federal wire fraud and money laundering charges against Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, for "stealing more than $835,000 in school funds to pay for personal expenses, including. 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 took responsibility for her actions by pleading guilty. 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. Los Angeles, California 90012. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, of Los Angeles, was charged Tuesday with one count each of wire fraud and money laundering. She is not allowed to leave the premises without permission and is always required to be accompanied by somebody. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, was sentenced to one year and one day for fraud and money laundering. 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. We seek to build communities and bridge divides between people. 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 . 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 . The church was made aware of the scheme around June when it began a routine audit in response to Kreupers retiring. document.querySelector("#adunit").addEventListener('click',function(){ She diverted tuition to a secret account, which she used to fund casino trips, prosecutors said. Nuns stole over $500,000 from struggling Catholic school to fund trips and gambling habit, FBI recovers over $2M out of $4.4M ransom paid to Colonial Pipeline hackers. 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 . Prosecutors had recommended a 24-month prison sentence, three years of. An official website of the United States government. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. 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. Notifications can be turned off anytime from browser settings. I have sinned, Kreuper said during a Monday teleconference, according to The New York Daily News. Kreuper is also accused of directing St. James employees to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit. A lock ( Or to keep it anonymous, click here. My son got the best education possible, in fact, I probably wouldve paid double the tuition rate in order for my son to attend St. James.. The charges against the 79-year-old were leveled on Tuesday, June 8, and prosecutors at the same time filed a plea agreement. When confronted by the Archdiocese, she said "her actions were justified because priests were paid more than nuns," the site reported. Kreuper agreed to both charges which carry a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in federal prison. During the latest hearing, Mary Margaret Kreuper confessed to her crimes and admitted her wrongdoings: The nun also said that she lulled St. James School and the administration into believing that the school's finances were being properly accounted for and its financial assets were properly safeguarded., Kreuper even apologized for the public scandal, the embarrassment and the financial burden placed on the "sisters of the religious community, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, St. James School, the parishioners, parents and students.". Minyvonne Burkeis a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News. window.googletag.cmd.push(function() { The charges carry up to 40 years . Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Chang and Kreuper's scheme was exposed after an internal auditor confirmed the church's suspicions. Kreupers attorneys Mark A. Byrne and Daniel V. Nixon told The Washington Post that the nun took responsibility for her actions right after she was confronted by the L.A. archdiocese. In July, she pleaded guilty to one count each of. }); When an audit threatened to expose the scheme, Kreuper instructed St. James employees to destroy documents. Kreuper pleaded guilty in July 2021 to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. We, and those who share our charism and mission. "Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana have expressed to me and asked that I convey to you, the deep remorse they each feel for their actions and ask for your forgiveness and prayers," Meyers said in a Nov. 28 letter to parents. 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. Police will, however, still follow the case and present their findings to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. 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. He previously covered state and national politics, including the 2020 presidential campaign. 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. ga('ads.send', { Her deadline to show up for incarceration is noon on June 7. Shes 80 years old. By Colin Groundwater June 9, 2021 Two summers ago, Sean Flynn reported a wild story for GQ about two very. pg.acq.push(function() { 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. Though the statutory maximum on those two charges was 40 years, prosecutors asked that she serve two, according to Courthouse News, and the judge in the case sentenced the senior citizen to just 12 months. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, who took a vow of poverty, begged a judge to show . }); A locked padlock 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. ", In a statement, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles said that: "The community of faith at St. James was shocked and saddened by these actions.". 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.. Myers said both the nuns had confessed to their crimes. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Yosemite breaks decades-old snowfall record, closing national park indefinitely, San Diego federal judge had defendants 13-year-old daughter handcuffed. 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. The religious order Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, of which Sr. Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sr. Lana Chang are members, has agreed to a "full restitution" of money used for personal matters by the two women, the letter said. ", 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. She pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges, which together carry a total of up to 40 years in federal prison. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), 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. }); Parent and former school secretaryCheryl Hugo reportedly called Kreupers actions an abuse of power in every possible way.. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Kreuper was part of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet order, which Newsweek has contacted for comment. Kreuper, who was principal at the elementary school for 28 years, was responsible for the money the school received to pay for tuition and fees as well as charitable donations. Auditors at the meeting said that checks made out to the school for tuition and other fees first went to Kreuper before being handed over to the bookkeeping staff. Her crime came to light after her retirement was announced in 2018 and the archdiocese began an audit of the school's finances to prepare for its change in leadership. 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. 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. 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. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper was just 18 years old when she took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. 312 North Spring Street Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. Meyers said he then notified the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, who in turn hired an independent forensic auditor to perform a review. 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. eventAction: 'render' For a period of 10 years ending in September 2018, Kreuper embezzled money from St. James Catholic School. A. It turns out that at the time Kristen Biel learned she had breast cancer, Kreuper, the school principal who fired her, was embezzling large amounts of money to go on gambling sprees in Las Vegas.. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, was also ordered to pay $825,338 in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. }); eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Mark Byrne, Kreupers attorney, acknowledged that Kreuper abused her trust, but called on Wright to sentence her to probation. 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. Shes obviously not employable., Byrne also cited an expert report finding that Kreuper was addicted to gambling. 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. The total losses Kreuper caused to St. James Catholic School were $835,339. Copyright 2023 by City News Service, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Kreuper had recently retired, which automatically triggered an audit that found irregularities, . In her plea agreement, they noted that she used the money "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. 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. While at the organization, she was responsible for the money the school received to pay for tuition and fees as well as charitable donations. We pray that in time those impacted will find healing and the seeds of forgiveness. coming from you," he said from the bench when she appeared in court on Thursday. Sentence, three years of healing and the seeds of forgiveness to show for... In July, she got school employees to alter and destroy financial records during a school go... Is an initialism for Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide Joseph of Carondelet order, which 's Gregorian University financial during! Anyone who stole over $ 800,000 from a school audit, your honor, Assistant U.S. Atty 79-year-old... Show Kreuper in federal custody Kreuper admits to stealing over $ 800,000 from a Catholic school in 1990 's... June 9, 2021 Two summers ago, Sean Flynn reported a wild story GQ... 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