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. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison, months after she admitted to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from St. James Catholic School in Torrance . Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, who was principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California, used the school funds to pay for personal expenses, including gambling trips, according to the release. Mary Margaret Kreuper was so close to getting away with it. Jaclyn Peiser contributed to this report. The first teacher, Agnes Morrissey-Berru, claimed her employment contract was not renewed after 16 years service because of illegal age discrimination. It wasnt until the house of cards came crashing down that she realized what she had done and started to go therapy, where she realized this addiction was a contributing factor. News of the indiscretions led to the archdiocese and the church announcing they wouldnt file criminal charges against the nuns after apologizing for their actions. During the time period this was happening, she had no idea this was happening. Mary Margaret Kreuper was so close to getting away with it. Kreuper was in charge of the schools credit union account, where she was meant to deposit cash and checks from tuition, fees and donations. He had planned to be in Washington for Monday's argument. The auditor found that tuition checks, fees and donations were being deposited into a bank account not used by the school. Rassbach will tell the Supreme Court that not everyone who works at a religious school or institution is exempt from these laws. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, who was principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California, used the school funds to . But as the archdiocese was completing its audit, it noticed something was off with the funding. Kreuper as the schools principal, handled all tuition payments, with the sister depositing checks into a separate account that she and Chang had access to. Meyers reported it to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, who hired their own auditor. Southern California authorities have revealed two nuns allegedly embezzling up to $500K which was parlayed into gambling jaunts in Las Vegas. James Convent instead of St. The rich uncle was the parents of the St. James students., The school monsignor has since sent out a letter in which the nuns asked that i convey to you the deep remorse they each feel for their actions and ask for your forgiveness and prayers.. 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, Garunkstis said. I have sinned, Ive broken the law and I have no excuses, Kreuper said at the sentencing over Zoom. When first confronted by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper blamed the gender pay gap and said she deserved a raise because "priests get paid better than nuns". Parents and alumni of St. James told KTTV-TV in late 2018 that they hoped the school followed through with pursuing criminal complaints against Kreuper and Chang. Local 10 News reported Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang of St.James Catholic School (both retiring earlier this year) using money from the school's funds to live a life of luxury over the last ten years. The schools denied that Morrissey-Berru and Biel were fired for discriminatory reasons. For more information about our use of cookies, our collection, use, and disclosure of personal information generally, and any rights you may have to access, delete, or opt out of the sale of your personal information, please view our, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Maybe if she had used her poker face to see more success in Vegas, she wouldnt have been in this position to begin with. Of course, at 79, the likelihood that Sister Mary Margaret will see any jail time is relatively slim. Kreuper became principal at St. James Catholic School in 1990, a position she held for 28 years until her retirement in September 2018. Kreuper originally pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering back in 2021. Indeed, he observes, they would be exempt not just from anti-discrimination laws, but also laws that protect individuals from retaliation when they report misbehavior to authorities, and laws imposing wage and hour regulations. Sister Mary Margaret was caught in 2018. She was so hurt that they could be doing this to her.". Jon Jones Reacts To Islam Makhachev Declaring Himself The Best Fighter In The World, Shavkat Rakhmonov Reacts To ESPN/UFC Commentator Laura Sanko Thirsting Over Him In Viral Video, Jon Jones First Shirtless Pic At Heavyweight Before UFC 285 Goes Viral, Ja Morants Lawyer, Agent Threaten Legal Recourse For Defamatory Report From The Washington Post, Another Glitch In The Matrix Has Occurred As A Bird Is Filmed Motionless In Mid-Air, Bengals Exec Sends Harsh Wake-Up Call To Teams Sniffing Around Tee Higgins. It involves two fifth-grade teachers at Catholic schools in California. 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, the judge said, according to the Los Angeles Times. As headteacher at St James Catholic School, which she ran for 28 years, she "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", prosecutors said. "Millions of people across the country who never thought or understood themselves to be leaders of the faith" would now "magically have no employment protections," he says. Image Via Scott Varley/Digital First Media/ Torrance Daily Breeze via Getty Images. 5 Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, of Los Angeles, was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering Credit: KCAL 9 5 In a statement to the Washinton Post her attorneys, Mark A. Byrne and Daniel V. Nixon, said she is very remorseful and sorry for any harm she has caused.. Kreuper, who pleaded guilty last summer to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering, was also ordered by U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II to pay more than $825,000 in restitution. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper A curated collection of links The Record What are records? I don't drink coffee, I wake up jacked. 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. zergnet.type = 'text/javascript'; zergnet.async = true; She doesn't have any money. The two holy women were eventually caught out after a recent audit. The money she stole was used to pay off credit card charges and "large gambling expenses incurred at casinos", the US attorney's office said. The fraud was discovered after an internal investigation at the end of the same year. Kreuper belongs to the order of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. His wife, he said, drove into their driveway "in tears bawling hysterically. US District Court Judge Otis Wright acknowledged his own anguish in deciding a punishment to fit the crime, saying "I haven't slept well in God knows how long" as he rejected prosecutors' call for a two-year sentence. As a Catholic nun, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper had taken a vow of poverty. She would endorse the checks with a stamp saying St. Court documents show that she also oversaw the St. James Convent Account, a savings account that funded the living expenses of the nuns who worked at the school. ", "Just as teaching science out of a fifth-grade textbook doesn't make them scientists, teaching religion for 40 minutes a day out of a workbook doesn't make them ministers," he says. She spent the next 59 years of her life dedicated to the church, they said. Well, Sister Mary Margaret didnt quite stay true to her vow. This material may not be reproduced without permission. (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images). G7 summit - Biden brings 1.2m Cadillac The Beast but will it fit down Cornwalls tiny country lanes. The Archdiocese appears to have now changed course-with ABC Newsreporting a criminal case may now be in the works following deepening investigations. Since 2014, The Marshall Project has been curating some of the best criminal justice reporting from around the web. Kreuper is due in court on 1 July and faces up to 40 years in federal prison. The Los Angeles native embezzled more than $835,000 from the Catholic school in Torrance, Calif., where she was principal to pay for 10 years of personal expenses, including her many gambling trips to Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe, according to federal prosecutors. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper had taken a vow of poverty. A retired nun has admitted to embezzling $835,000 over 10 years from a Catholic school in California to fund her gambling habit, according to federal prosecutors. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, who worked as the school principal for 28 years, and Sister Lana Chang, a teacher at the school for 20 years, reportedly bilked the funds over a period of at least a decade, the Press-Telegram reported. Trust shouldnt be broken like that., Others, such as Kevin Kearns, whose son had gone to the school, said the nun had put the students and parents above everything else., The church tells us to forgive those who have trespassed against us, Kearns said. This was a manifestation of greed, Kumar said, adding that the nun had abused the trust of the community. Kreuper did not recognize she had a gambling problem until she was accused of embezzling more than $835,000 from the school, Byrne said. By that math, Sister Mary Margaret was only 66 when the behavior began. In June 2021, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admitted to embezzling $835,000 from the Catholic school where she served as principal for 28 years. Monday's case, however, does not involve trained and ordained ministers of the faith. All rights reserved. Kreuper, 79, was charged Tuesday with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering, and in a plea agreement pleaded guilty to both charges, the Associated Press reported. Shes very, very remorseful and very ashamed, he said. znscr.parentNode.insertBefore(zergnet, znscr); I was wrong, and Im profoundly sorry for the pain and suffering Ive caused so many people., Despite her vow of poverty, nun stole more than $835,000 from a Catholic school, prosecutors said. She is looking forward to getting on with life and will get treatment for her gambling addiction, he said. Sister Mary Margaret became a nun when she turned 18 in 1960 and took a vow of poverty. She really didnt stay true to it at all, actually. Michael Meyers, the pastor at St. James Church. Kreuper, who had taken a vow of poverty as a nun, worked as a principal at St. James Catholic School in Torrance for 28 years and allegedly embezzled the funds for 10 years until her retirement in 2018. Now, nearly three years later, she faces up to 40 years in prison and will appear in the Federal District Court in Los Angeles on July 1. After taking a vow of poverty, her excuse for lavish gambling expenses is hilarious. Pic: St James Catholic School. In a statement to The Washington Post, Kreupers lawyers said she is very remorseful and sorry for any harm she has caused. If Kreuper has no prior criminal history, under federal sentencing guidelines the sentencing range should be between 41 and 57 months (between around three-and-a-half and five years), though the court will have the final say in her punishment. Local 10 Newsreported Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang of St.James Catholic School(both retiring earlier this year) using money from the schools funds to live a life of luxury over the last ten years. The sisters later confessed to using the funds for themselves. Her husband said that in her final days, the couple talked extensively about the case. These nuns took a vow of poverty and said, oh no, weve got a rich uncle, one parent told the Press-Telegram. They dont want you to see this Big Tech does its best to limit what news you see. Get the news that matters most delivered directly to your inbox. 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 Gambling Nuns" saga is unlikely to come up at the Supreme Court, but it certainly is on Darryl Biel's mind. Mr Kumar said that jealousy played a part, calling the episode "really an abuse of position of trust". Prosecutors say the nun also ordered school employees to alter and destroy financial records during the audit. She wanted more than she had.. 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The principal allegedly withheld some of the checks and deposited them into the other account, endorsing the back with a stamp that read, St. 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. As principal of St. James Catholic School, she oversaw the money the school received to pay for tuition and fees as well as charitable donations. Investigators determined the money went to accounts the school didnt know about, Kumar said. Dan Mac Guill is a former writer for Snopes. 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. At the time, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet imposed restrictions on the two women, writing in a news release that: "The two Sisters are removed from all public ministry. "She doesn't have anywhere to go," he said. But. The Torrance Police Department, the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation into the allegations against Kreuper. This large chunk of stolen money came as the St. James Catholic School was operating under tight budgets with small concerns that the finances could not continue to keep the door open. 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 of 10 years. I promised her I would see this through," he says. Rather, he said, she is religiously trained and a commissioned minister of the church. Similar articles were published by the Los Angeles Times, KTLA, and Unilad.co.uk. James School.. When staff members finally found the check, they realized that it was not deposited in a St. James account, but a different bank account. Police will still present the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office, NBC reported. This is because, as part of the plea deal, the prosecutors have agreed to recommend to the court an "offense level" of 25 for Kreuper's crimes, and will further advise the court to reduce that to 23, or even 22. Mary Kreuper: Nun who stole $835,000 to fund gambling habit admits 'I have sinned', Sister Mary Kreuper embezzled more than 600,000 from the school where she worked. Instead, the school's principal, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, was stealing the money and using it to bankroll her gambling habit, federal prosecutors said, violating her vow of poverty. Months after Kreuper admitted to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars, the 80-year-old was sentenced on Monday to a year and a day in federal prison. Sister Mary Margaret was making bank (very illegally) through laundering and threw everyone off of the scent by reminding them of her vow of poverty. 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