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. Wright also said that as someone who had been educated by nuns, "unlike most cases, this one will be a struggle.". 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. Have a tip or story idea? 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. } 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. Kreuper had recently retired, which automatically triggered an audit that found irregularities, . She will appear for an arraignment at the United States District Court on July 1. Assistant United States Attorney Poonam G Kumar of the Major Frauds Section is prosecuting the 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. ", Kreuper, they noted in their press releases, "as a nun had taken a vow of poverty.". }); Official websites use .gov eventAction: 'load' The Sisters of St. Joseph both desire and intend to make complete restitution to St. James School. 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. Urgent needs call us to bold conversation and prophetic action. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. The archdiocese did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment. (Youtube/KCAL) ", 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. 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. When it was all over, she had been principal for a total of 28 years, they said. For 10 years until September 2018, prosecutors say she bilked the facility for money. The judge said he was grappling with the possibility that conditions at the convent might be worse than prison. 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. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper (CBS News) In a statement, the Archdiocese said they informed law enforcement of the misappropriated school funds after she announced her retirement in 2018. 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 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. Nuns should realize that just by living their lives and living the way they do and treating people the way they do, they affect children for the rest of their lives, said Wright, who fell silent and covered his face in his hands for a long pause during his pronouncement of the sentence. 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. 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. These also include her gambling trips, revealed federal prosecutors. }); Prosecutors also said that Kreuper directed St. James School staff to alter and destroy financial records during an audit, and caused total losses of $835,339. Kreuper has paid back $10,000 of what she owes, according to The Long Beach Press-Telegram. Kreuper pleaded guilty in July 2021 to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. She is very sorry for any harm she has caused.''. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function(event) { The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet are a congregation of Catholic sisters. 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. ", 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, 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. Who is Mary Margaret Kreuper? She pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges, which together carry a total of up to 40 years in federal prison. (213) 894-4465. Kreuper was sentenced to one year in prison Monday and told to pay back the money. 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. Our community is concerned and saddened by this situation and regret any injury to our long relationship with the families of the school. '', 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. hitType: 'event', California nun, 79, to admit to stealing $835K from school funds. As part of her efforts to suppress everything, she got school employees to change and destroy financial records during a school audit. 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. hitType: 'event', . Meyers said during the meeting that around that same time a family who gave money to the school requested a copy of the check, and staff noticed that the check had been deposited into an account not associated with the school. 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. I dont feel that Im a victim in this case, he said. "I don't look at nuns as ordinary people," he said, according to FOX 6. https://t.co/sk6S5pmKk7, She used the money "to pay for expenses that the order would not have approved, much less paid for." Mary Margaret Kreuper was the principal of the elementary school for 28 years. coming from you," he said from the bench when she appeared in court on Thursday. 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. 'I have sinned, I've broken the law and I . eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), media-tech companies with hubs around the world. 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.. Eighty-year-old Mary Margaret Kreuper admitted stealing the money from 2008 to 2018 while she was principal at St. James Catholic School in the LA suburb of Torrance. Ciaran McEvoy Let us pray for our school families and for Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana," he added. Mary Margaret Kreuper was the principal of the elementary school for 28 years. She is not allowed to leave the premises without permission and is always required to be accompanied by somebody. According to The New York Post, for the past three and a half years, Kreuper has been under house arrest. Emailus. 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.. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, is seen in this undated photo. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, was sentenced to one year and one day for fraud and money laundering. 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 . Explore the variety of ways to be a part of our community. In court papers it was . I was wrong, and I am profoundly sorry for the pain and the suffering that I have caused so many people, she told Wright. Author of the article: Here are 10 you cant miss, Review: A reimagined Secret Garden fails to flower anew at the Ahmanson Theatre, Letters to the Editor: Trumps perfect call to Georgia was wrong. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. 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. 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. Shes 80 years old. U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II has set sentencing for February 7, 2022, when he would expect her to make a statement. ga('ads.send', { But it doesnt mean hes a criminal, Rain check! 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Kreuper was principal at the school for 29 years. 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.. 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. When an audit threatened to expose the scheme, Kreuper instructed St. James employees to destroy documents. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Michael Finnegan is a Los Angeles Times reporter covering federal courts and law enforcement. 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. 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. Los Angeles, California 90012. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. (CBSLA). A bookkeeper who knew about the nuns' scheme voluntarily took a leave of absence during the investigation, Michael Meyers, the churchs monsignor, said during the meeting, according to the Press-Telegram. The school became aware of the alleged embezzlement in a routine audit when one of the nuns retired as the school's principal. hitType: 'event', 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. She pleaded guilty to mary margaret kreuper fraud and money laundering be a part of our community year one! 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