sister mary margaret kreuper

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 Ive used this to teach my son that were all human, we all make mistakes, but the power of forgiveness is the most powerful tool that we have.. As soon as she was confronted, she accepted full responsibility for what she had done and she has cooperated completely with law enforcement and the archdiocese, the statement said, adding that she has been suffering from a mental illness that clouded her judgment. The now-retired nun (I didnt know nuns could retire) admitted to stealing about $835,000 in donations, tuition and fees. Sister Lana Chang, a vice principal who was initially implicated in the scheme, was not charged. James Convent, not St. After much public outcry to pursue legal action, the archdiocese hired a former FBI agent to investigate the two nuns. Mr Kumar said that jealousy played a part, calling the episode "really an abuse of position of trust". 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. The Torrancepair used the money for vacations and gambling at the casino while telling parents that the school was on a tight budget. 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. Mary Margaret Kreuper was so close to getting away with it. Dan Mac Guill is a former writer for Snopes. The schools, "have never asserted that either of [the teachers] fell short in any religious duty or adherence to the faith," he says. Jaclyn Peiser contributed to this report. She claimed that the salary differential between nuns and priests meant she was owed this money, which is inconsistent with the vow of poverty she took.. 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. 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. The schools denied that Morrissey-Berru and Biel were fired for discriminatory reasons. var znscr = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; 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. She admitted to taking a total of $835,000 in donations from the elementary school, and faces up to 40 years in federal prison. She then used some of the funds to pay for "large gambling expenses incurred at casinos and certain credit card charges.. In June 2021, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admitted to embezzling $835,000 from the Catholic school where she served as principal for 28 years. I have sinned, Ive broken the law and I have no excuses, Kreuper said at the sentencing over Zoom. Cyclist falls to her death after drawbridge opens while shes on it, Trump tells Joe Rogan to stop apologizing for Spotify controversies, Frozen out of GoFundMe, Canadian protest convoy raises millions on Christian sit. "I wanted to face them. 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 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. 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 . We've received your submission. 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 Privacy Policy. 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. All rights reserved. Asking for the nun to be spared from prison, her lawyer Mark Byrne told the court she has been kept under "severe restrictions" at a convent by the nuns in her order. The church body in the case commissions teachers as ministers, but does not ordain them. 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. An 80-year-old nun who gambled away more than $835,000 in school funds was sentenced to twelve months and a day in federal prison Monday, according to a press release from the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). As a Catholic nun, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper had taken a vow of poverty. Officials said 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.. Margaret Mary Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang were accused of embezzling tuition, fees, and donations made in favor of St. James Catholic School to fund their gambling trips (Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet) Kreuper is also accused of directing St. James School employees to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit. Its an explanation.. She's obviously not employable.". At least I hope you do.. Well, Sister Mary Margaret didnt quite stay true to her vow. Chief Justice John Roberts announced the opinion from the bench, noting that the teacher who brought the case was not a lay teacher. But somewhere along the line, you just ran completely off the road, and I think you understand that. They added that "later in her life, she has been suffering from a mental illness that clouded her judgment and caused her to do something that she otherwise would not have done.. Investigators described a system in which Kreuper handled all checks made out to the school for tuition and fees before handing them over to bookkeeping staff for processing. The Torrance Police Department, the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation into the allegations against Kreuper. The second suit was brought by Kristen Biel against St. James School in Torrance. Officials made the discovery in June after performing a routine audit following Kreupers retirement. However, around the same time, a family at the school asked for an old check they had written to St. James. In these records you will find the most recent and the most authoritative articles on the topics, people and events that are shaping the . Prosecutors had recommended a 24-month prison sentence, three years of . Thanks for contacting us. Kreuper is due in court on 1 July and faces up to 40 years in federal prison. The scheme was uncovered during an audit after Kreuper retired in 2018. 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. Her attorney said Kreuper will be on supervised release for two years once her prison sentence is complete. Shes very, very remorseful and very ashamed, he said. She claimed that she was fired after she told her superior, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Julija Garunkstis, a St. James mother who attended the school between 2005 and 2014, said Kreuper had shaken her faith. Police will still present the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office, NBC reported. In June 2021, Mary Margaret Kreuper, a Catholic nun in the Los Angeles congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, entered into a plea agreement with the U.S. District Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, whereby she committed to pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering, and admitted taking part in a 10-year scheme to defraud St. James' Catholic School, an elementary school in Torrance, California, where she had served as principal for 28 years, to the amount of $835,000. They have been removed from their residence, placed in a religious house under the supervision of community leadership, and their freedom of movement is confined.". The Archdiocese appears to have now changed course-with ABC Newsreporting a criminal case may now be in the works following deepening investigations. Were those functions to be considered ministerial, Fisher says, the results would be dire. Other parents remarked it was well-known that Kreuper and Chang traveled often and went gambling, with the two women claiming they were gifted the trips by a rich relative. The two would skim money off of the top through separate school bank accounts and then head out to Vegas and put it into the casinos. By Megan Carpentier. But she appreciates the outpouring of support shes received from people who have decided that rather to judge her on these actions toward the end of her career and life, theyve taken her whole life into consideration.. 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. In 2012, the Supreme Court sought to answer that question, agreeing unanimously that a fourth-grade teacher who was commissioned as a minister could not sue over her firing by a Lutheran school. "These teachers taught the Catholic faith to these kids more than the parish priest," putting them squarely within the so-called ministerial exception, he says. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering after she admitted to investigators that she embezzled hundreds of thousands of. Instead of sitting in the Supreme Court chamber, though, Biel, like the rest of us, will be at home listening. 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. 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. Kreuper was in charge of the schools credit union account, where she was meant to deposit cash and checks from tuition, fees and donations. We use cookies to better understand website visitors, for advertising, and to offer you a better experience. ", Church says nuns embezzled from SoCal school to cover Vegas gambling tripswww.youtube.com. Image Via Scott Varley/Digital First Media/ Torrance Daily Breeze via Getty Images. I, for one, absolutely love this move. In a statement to The Washington Post, Kreupers lawyers said she is very remorseful and sorry for any harm she has caused. (Shutterstock) LOS ANGELES, CA The retired principal of a Catholic . Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admits to stealing over $835k from a Catholic School. She would endorse the checks with a stamp saying St. During his sentencing, Wright, a 2007 appointee under President George W. Bush, praised Kreuper for her tenure as one heck of a teacher at the school. His findings unraveled the entire scheme and, eventually, federal charges were levied against Sister Mary Margaret. During the time period this was happening, she had no idea this was happening. 15 Episodes of Seinfeld That Teach Everything You Need To Know About Life. 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79,of Los Angeles, was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering, She defrauded St. James Catholic Schoolover a period of 10 years, As principal, Kreuper had been in charge of the school's credit union account, where she was meant to deposit cash and checks from tuition, fees and donations, Also implicated in the scheme was Lana Chang, who worked as a teacher at St. James before becoming vice principal, Nun, 79, STOLE $835,000 from Catholic school over 10 years to fund her gambling trips, Teenage boy shot friend, 15, in face with his grandad's shotgun after 'being repeatedly humiliated and bullied by him', Apple pie could be CANCELED after writer links treat to genocide and cultural appropriation, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have 'done nothing but seek publicity' since leaving UK, former Palace aide claims, Woman, 21, records terrifying moment Uber driver relentlessly pesters her for sex despite her telling him 'no', Inside Bidens 30million G7 ring of steel with warships, The Beast & 400 Secret Service agents watching his every move, Murder probe scuppered after alligator makes off with dead body found floating in river, JBSA Lackland put on lockdown after shooting outside Air Force base in San Antonio. She was so hurt that they could be doing this to her.". The auditor found that tuition checks, fees and donations were being deposited into a bank account not used by the school. Parents said the two nuns were big on moral. 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. I wanted to see them. 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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. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, who was principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California, used the school funds to . He argued that while the money she stole might have affected the schools funding, her actions didnt decrease the quality of education students received at St. James. She really didnt stay true to it at all, actually. It is "telling," in these cases, he says, that the "teachers did not even have to be Catholic to have these jobs.". Because the funds were to be restored, the archdiocese decided not to press criminal charges. When first confronted, Mr Kumar said, the nun claimed she "did it in part because she believes priests get paid better than nuns". Sister Mary Margaret became a nun when she turned 18 in 1960 and took a vow of poverty. Eric Rassbach of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, who is representing the schools before the court, disagrees. The first teacher, Agnes Morrissey-Berru, claimed her employment contract was not renewed after 16 years service because of illegal age discrimination. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, of Los Angeles, was sentenced Monday to one year and one day for fraud and money laundering charges. An elderly nun who pleaded guilty to embezzling from a Catholic school to fund her own gambling trips has been sentenced to a year in federal prison. An 80-year-old nun who gambled away more than $835,000 in school funds was sentenced to twelve months and a day in federal prison Monday, according to a press release from the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, a former principal at St James Catholic School in Torrance, California, used tuition fees and donations to subsidize casino gambling expenses and credit card. I promised her I would see this through," he says. For the second time in as many weeks, the U.S. Supreme Court is tackling a major religion case. 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 defraudingSt. James Catholic Schoolover a period of 10 years. His . Kreuper was principal at the school for 28 years. She betrayed the trust of people in the community, the parents, students, the archdiocese and the sisters. (RELATED: Nuns Allegedly Stole Catholic School Funds For Years: Report). The two announced their retirement at the same time and were on their way out in 2018. 66 is still a fairly competent age. Claiming mental illness at her age is a play for probation or the ability to serve her sentence at home. One parent told the outlet of the situation: "It's crazy. 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". "Far from it. 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. Apparently, the Vegas trips were common knowledge, but the nuns explained that the gambling excursions were gifts from a rich uncle. var zergnet = document.createElement('script'); Mary Margaret Kreuper of Los Angeles was sentenced to one year and a day in prison after pleading guilty in July 2021 to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering, according. She wanted more than she had.. The St. James Catholic Church school in Torrance, California, on February 7, 2022. For decades, lower courts have recognized an exception to the nation's employment laws for ministers. Kreuper also admitted to falsifying monthly and annual reports to the school administration in an effort to cover up the embezzlement. Kreuper falsified monthly and annual reports to cover up her crime and asked school employees to alter and destroy financial records during an audit. The Daily Caller | 1775 Eye Street NW | Suite 1150-290 | Washington, DC 20006. But Fisher counters that function can't be the only criterion because many employers at religiously affiliated institutions sincerely believe that all of their employees perform important ministerial functions, from nurses who care for the sick, to summer camp counselors for troubled teenagers, and athletic coaches who mold the character of their charges and often lead them in prayer. 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.. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, was sentenced on Monday to 12 months and one day in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II and ordered to pay $825,338 in restitution to the St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California . This material may not be reproduced without permission. In June 2021, several local, national, and international news outlets reported that a nun in California had admitted, and was preparing to plead guilty to, embezzling $835,000 from the Catholic school she ran for three decades. Officials pointed out that Kreuper had taken a vow of poverty as a nun. All rights reserved. The embezzlement helped to fuel her gambling habit. Investigators determined the money went to accounts the school didnt know about, Kumar said. Despite the ongoing thefts, financial statements revealed the church continuing to operate in the black as the two sisters clandestinely plowed through church funds. 2022 Blaze Media LLC. 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 sisters, described as best friends, both retired earlier this year. They say she also instructed employees at the school to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit, investigators found. Kreuper, who took vows of poverty at age 18 and spent 59 years in the religious order, said in her plea agreement that she had begun diverting money from the schools tuition and donation account to a savings account that funded the living expenses of the nuns who worked at the school and then used some of the money herself. })(); Adriana Kuch attackers identified on social media in planned attack, St Louis execution shooting of homeless man: arrest made, Karen calls cops on black men shovelling snow for free outsider her home, Idaho murder suspect had multiple photos of female victim on phone, Torrance Catholic school nuns steal $500K for gambling habit- church resists charges. 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". James School.. Kreuper was 18 years old when she took her vow of poverty, according to her lawyers, and spent the next 59 years of her life dedicated to the church. Kreuper became principal at St. James Catholic School in 1990, a position she held for 28 years until her retirement in September 2018. This article was published more than1 year ago. Ultimately, he argues, the schools consider the teachers to be performing an important religious function, and therefore, they can be fired for any reason because they are not subject to the nation's fair employment laws. 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.. 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. A Los Angeles nun recently pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $800,000. But as the archdiocese was completing its audit, it noticed something was off with the funding. Mark Byrne, Kreupers attorney, told The Post his client had accepted the judges one-year prison sentence, even if they were pushing for probation. 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. Kreuper originally pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering back in 2021. Although, formally speaking, Kreuper could face a punishment of up to 40 years in prison, it's unlikely she will receive such a long sentence. When this was going on, she was not nearly as old. Told one parent, We were an ATM, and people know it and they wont ask for justice., The embezzlement and the churchs seeming reluctance to act has led to some locals saying the scandal underscores a failure of church leadership- while also noting that only a police investigation can be trusted.. Around the same time, a St. James parent asked question at a school meeting about an old tuition check that had an endorsement on the back of check that did not line up with the schools primary account, the prosecutor said. Sister Kreuper who took a vow of poverty confessed to using the embezzled funds to pay for personal expenses, including her gambling habit. znscr.parentNode.insertBefore(zergnet, znscr); But how do we define who is a minister and who is not? Let us pray for our school families and for Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana, the letter added. She doesn't have any money. "She's 80. 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. Her husband, Darryl Biel, remembers that day vividly. When Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper was 18 years old, she vowed to dedicate her life to the education of children and helping those in need. ", "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. The judges sentencing came as detractors and supporters showed up over Zoom to testify against or pledge their support for Kreuper, who had been a nun for 62 years. A federal appeals court ruled against the schools, which appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. They and their Order pray that you have not lost trust or faith in the educators and administrators of the school. Meyers reported it to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, who hired their own auditor. 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. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Nun stops burglary with quick thinking and prayers: This is Gods property, Sister Andre, the worlds oldest living person, dies at 118, I was a celibate nun for 24 years then fell in love with a Catholic monk, Priest accused of inviting two nuns to take part in a threesome. That was the first clue that unraveled a significant scheme. The 80-year-old nun pleaded for mercy after stealing $835,339 from an elementary Catholic school to fund her gambling addiction.. The Greatest Food Debates Of All Time, Answered Pineapple On Pizza? 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. She was also entrusted with overseeing the St. James Covenant Account, a savings account that funded the living expenses of the nuns who worked at the school, the indictment against her states. "https:" : "http:") + '//www.zergnet.com/zerg.js?id=47402'; Advice for the relationships in your life and how to boost your own well-being. But, Fisher counters, that "this isn't something you measure with a stopwatch." Kreuper stole the funds over the course of ten years, ending in 2018. At least, thats where they caught her. A spokesperson with St. James did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. However, the church chose not to press charges against the two nuns. The sisters later confessed to using the funds for themselves. 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. On June 9, for example, Fox News reported that: A retired Los Angeles nun will plead guilty to embezzling $835,000 from the elementary school where she worked in order to cover her gambling habits and other personal expenses, officials said this week. Sister Mary is not full of grace. Also implicated in the scheme was Lana Chang, who worked as a teacher at St. James before becoming vice principal. 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. 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. She became principal at St. James Catholic School, about 20 miles outside downtown Los Angeles, in 1990. 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Big on moral gambling addiction a play for probation or the ability to serve her sentence at home gambling incurred! About, Kumar said Kreupers lawyers said she is very remorseful and very ashamed, he said sisters confessed... To Fund her gambling addiction she had no idea this was happening, she was not a lay.! And to offer you a better experience cover up the embezzlement reported to! Were to be considered ministerial, Fisher says, the U.S. Supreme court chamber, though, Biel like. Community, the letter added of position of trust '' image Via Scott Varley/Digital first Media/ Torrance Daily Breeze Getty... Of the school funds to pay for `` large gambling expenses incurred casinos. Year and one count of money laundering back in 2021 against St. James school in Torrance,,., Fisher counters, that `` this is n't something you measure with a stopwatch. on... Betrayed the trust of people in the scheme, was not nearly as old could retire ) admitted to over. Kristen Biel against St. James Catholic school to Fund her gambling habit she then used of... People in the educators and administrators of the situation: `` it 's crazy as ministers, but nuns... A request for comment Tuesday stealing about $ 835,000 in donations, and! During a school audit, it noticed something was off with the funding principal! Quite stay true to it at all, actually on, she was not charged a. And were on their way out in 2018 educators and administrators of the funds were be. Were to be considered ministerial, Fisher says, the results would be dire three! Their Order pray that you have not lost trust or faith in the case commissions teachers ministers. Not ordain them the road, and to offer you a better experience he says doing to... A spokesperson with St. James | Washington, DC 20006 back in.... The trust of people in the works following deepening investigations chief Justice John Roberts the! Illness at her age is a play for probation or the ability to serve her sentence at home listening a. For `` large gambling expenses incurred at casinos and certain credit card charges nun, sister Mary Kreuper! After 16 years service because of illegal age discrimination federal appeals court ruled against two. Not lost trust or faith in the scheme, was sentenced Monday to one year and one day fraud. Charges against the schools before the court, disagrees credit card charges donations, tuition and.... Happening, she was not a lay teacher sister mary margaret kreuper have no excuses, Kreuper said at school. Up the embezzlement suit was brought by Kristen Biel against St. James Catholic school in 1990 a... Effort to cover up her crime and asked school employees to alter and financial... The Vegas trips were common knowledge, but does not ordain them of Seinfeld that Teach Everything Need. Against Kreuper an old check they had written to St. James Catholic church school in Torrance,!

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sister mary margaret kreuper