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. Poonam Kumar told the judge. Today, she has been held accountable by the United States criminal justice system. Prosecutors had recommended a 24-month prison sentence, three years of supervised release, and restitution. 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. Who is Mary Margaret Kreuper? 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. Kreuper has paid back $10,000 of what she owes, according to The Long Beach Press-Telegram. The two embezzling sisters are Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang. 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. Your login session has expired. In a letter addressed to parents and parishioners, he wrote, "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. Our congregation was founded in St. Louis in 1836, and since then we have formed additional communities and provinces around the world. "We. At the same time, prosecutors filed a plea agreement in which Kreuper agreed to plead guilty to the two charges, which carry a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in federal prison. In the plea agreement, she admitted to having 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. Kreuper also admitted that she falsified monthly and annual reports to the school administration to cover up her fraudulent conduct. The charges carry up to 40. / KCAL News. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. Until this last spring, Kreuper was the principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance and Chang was its vice . "They were just such staunch defenders of moral fortitude, they were really tough on the kids," she said. Justice for others and for ourselves is a deep value held by the Sisters of St. Joseph. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of . pg.acq.push(function() { 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. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), 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. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. We seek to build communities and bridge divides between people. coming from you," he said from the bench when she appeared in court on Thursday. We are a congregation of Catholic sisters tracing our origins to France in 1650, who strive to share the great love of God with our dear neighbors today. The now-retired nun, Mary Margaret Kreuper,. Kreuper's embezzlement is nothing like what goes in the political circles of the country. Wright told Kreuper shed been one heck of a teacher during her 62 years as a nun. Los Angeles, California 90012. 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. We seek to build communities and bridge divides between people. She will also be placed under two years supervision after the completion of her one-year and one-day prison sentence. Despite her nun's vow of poverty . 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. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper is an 80-year-old nun from Torrance and a former principal of St. James Catholic School. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. (CBSLA). Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admitted embezzling $835,000 from St James Catholic School in the LA suburb of Torrance. '', 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. "I don't have to worry about b.s. 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}} 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. 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. 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". The nun has also been asked to pay a total of $825,338 in restitution to St. James Catholic School. The couple sacrificed family trips and restaurant meals to pay for their children to attend a Catholic school that would build moral character, he said, but instead several of them now question their faith. (Youtube/KCAL) Notifications can be turned off anytime from browser settings. A nun is pictured at Vatican's Gregorian University. She doesnt have anywhere to go, he said. Federal authorities charged 79-year-old Mary Margaret Kreuper with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering for her role in the scheme while principal of St. James Catholic School . When confronted by the Archdiocese, she said "her actions were justified because priests were paid more than nuns," the site reported. Or to keep it anonymous, click here. 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. 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. 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. California nun, 79, to admit to stealing $835K from school funds. ga('ads.send', { Sister Mary Margaret, 77, was a pillar of the community who spent 29 years as the principal of St. James Catholic School. pg.acq.push(function() { Kreuper is also accused of directing St. James employees to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit. 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.. Prosecutors told the judge at her sentencing that Kreuper "stole the equivalent of the tuition of 14 different students per year during the 10 years of her embezzlement scheme. 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. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 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. 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 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. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), By Colin Groundwater June 9, 2021 Two summers ago, Sean Flynn reported a wild story for GQ about two very. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of the Arlington Heights neighborhood in Los Angeles, was sentenced by United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II, who also ordered her to pay $825,338 in restitution. Most of the funds she blew on gambling trips to Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe with. 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. 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. Wright ordered Kreuper, who took a vow of poverty and whose living expenses are paid for by the order, to pay $835,339 in restitution to St. James. }); 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. Retired nun Mary Margaret Kreuper, admitted to stealing money from St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Arlington Heights in Los Angeles, was also ordered to pay $825,338 in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.. The charges carry up to 40 years . Mary Margaret Kreuper was so close to getting away with it. Michael Finnegan is a Los Angeles Times reporter covering federal courts and law enforcement. }); 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. Have a tip or story idea? IE 11 is not supported. But somewhere along the line, you just ran completely off the road, and I think you understand that. The judge said he was grappling with the possibility that conditions at the convent might be worse than prison. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, who took a vow of poverty, begged a judge to show . Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper was just 18 years old when she took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Check out an array of spirituality resources. 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. For three years, Byrne told the judge, the nuns in her order have kept her under severe restrictions at a convent. In private letters to Wright and remarks at the video hearing, some former St. James students asked him to put the nun behind bars. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, of Los Angeles, was sentenced Monday to one year and one day for fraud and money laundering charges. 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 . Mary Margaret Kreuper, a retired nun who served as principal of a Catholic elementary school in Torrance, California, for 28 years, agreed on Tuesday to plead guilty to fraud and money laundering. 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. "Unfortunately . 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. After reviewing all the letters, Wright said, it appeared most families had forgiven Kreuper. Copyright 2023 by City News Service, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ", Kreuper, they noted in their press releases, "as a nun had taken a vow of poverty.". (213) 894-4465. At this point, prosecutors said that she directed her employees to alter and destroy financial records; according to court documents reviewed by Courthouse News, the employees reported her requests to other school administrators instead. },false) Now Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, is set to spend a year and a day in prison followed by two years of supervised release. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. The 79-year-old Los Angeles resident was charged Tuesday with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Please logout and login again. 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.. 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. 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. 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. [email protected] 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. She is very sorry for any harm she has caused.''. 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.. 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. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. Assistant United States Attorney Poonam G. Kumar of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case. While at the organization, she was responsible for the money the school received to pay for tuition and fees as well as charitable donations. Prior to her sentencing, the nun had already been placed under several restrictions by the order of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. As part of her role as the head of the institution, Kreuper oversaw all funds the school received for tuition fees and charitable donations. 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. As per the plea deal, Kreuper reportedly used the embezzled money to fund her personal expenses, including large gambling bets and vacations to Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe and Temecula. Parent and former school secretaryCheryl Hugo reportedly called Kreupers actions an abuse of power in every possible way.. 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. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), WATCH LIVE: Psychic on Trial in Spousal Swindling Case, WATCH LIVE: XXXTentacion murder trial 3 men charged in 2018 shooting death of rapper, WATCH LIVE: Murdaugh Family Double-Murder Trial, Law&Crime Looks Ahead to 10 Remarkable Criminal Trials Scheduled for the First Half of 2023, 9 Shocking Times Defendants Testified at Trial, Ohio homicide detectives investigate two deaths as DNA helps identify skull and bones found decades ago, He just f***ing killed him!: Suspect identified after video shows shooter executing man in broad daylight in St. Louis, Manipulative psychic coached 20-something woman on bilking and kissing 80-year-old businessman: Prosecutors, Says it all: experts react to Buster Murdaughs facepalm during fathers testimony in double murder trial, Former NFL running back sentenced to jail following brutal video of attack on ex-girlfriend that went viral, is set to spend a year and a day in prison followed by two years of supervised release, LIVE: Closing statements begin in Alex Murdaugh double murder trial Day 25, Marilyn Manson accuser's sudden 180 won't get into court in Evan Rachel Wood case, judge rules, Alex Murdaugh has admitted to dozens of financial crimes and faces over 700 years in prison for those concessions alone, Ghislaine Maxwell appeal claims she was prosecuted to 'satisfy public outrage' over Jeffrey Epstein plea deal, jailhouse death, Unsealed search warrant reveals new evidence against accused quadruple murderer Bryan Kohberger in grisly fatal stabbings of Idaho students, Elderly Florida man caught with over one ton of printed child porn images in home: Sheriff, Man sentenced for stabbing 16-year-old boy in the heart in fight over another teens ex-girlfriend, Convicted murderer identified as suspect in 1980 cold case of 21-year-old N.J. woman found shot in the head in California, Florida man indicted for allegedly killing pregnant girlfriend who wanted to celebrate his murder acquittal, He grabbed him by his head and slit his throat: Girlfriend of slain news anchor provides grisly details of terrifying attack. According to the plea agreement, Kreuper embezzled money from St. James for a period of 10 years ending in September 2018. 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. 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. 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. At the prosecutors request, the judge later lowered the amount by $10,000 to account for what she has already repaid. However, the nun started diverting the money into secret accounts in 2008 to fund her gambling habits and personal credit card charges. 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.. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotOnload', function(event) { 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. 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. ga('ads.send', { },false) The 80-year-old nun also was ordered to pay a total of. The embezzlement helped to fuel her gambling habit. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('impressionViewable', function(event) { She was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison in addition to . 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. Suite 1200 Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, is seen in this undated photo. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, of Los Angeles, was charged Tuesday with one count each of wire fraud and money laundering. 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. In court papers it was . }); She diverted tuition to a secret account, which she used to fund casino trips, prosecutors said. Chang and Kreuper's scheme was exposed after an internal auditor confirmed the church's suspicions. Mark Byrne, Kreupers attorney, acknowledged that Kreuper abused her trust, but called on Wright to sentence her to probation. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. READ ALSO | 2 nuns accused of embezzling 'substantial' amount from Catholic school in Torrance. Meyers said he then notified the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, who in turn hired an independent forensic auditor to perform a review. This is not an excuse for what she did, he said. She pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges, which together carry a total of up to 40 years in federal prison. hitType: 'event', She pleaded guilty last July . As far as parent Kevin Kearnswas concerned, there were no hard feelings about the embezzlement. 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. 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 Nun has also been asked to pay a total of independent forensic to. `` they were really tough on the kids, '' she said from you, '' he said from bench... That conditions at the convent might be worse than prison get access exclusive. To the.gov website which she used to fund casino trips, prosecutors said in 2008 fund! September 2018 goes in the political circles of the funds she blew on gambling trips to Las Vegas Lake! 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