As it stands, the Los Angeles Archdiocese said it was shocked and saddened.. 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. The 80-year old nun was ordered to pay $825,338.57 she embezzled while principal at St.. As a Catholic nun, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper had taken a vow of poverty. The rich uncle was the parents of the St. James students," he said. Mary Margaret Kreuper, principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance, Calif., until 2018, was charged with stealing more than $835,000 in school funds to pay for personal expenses, including gambling trips. . Kreuper pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. A routine audit upon her retirement raised "several red . "I apologize for the public scandal, the embarrassment and the financial burden that I have placed on the sisters in my religious community, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, St. James School, the parishioners, parents and students who placed their trust in me," she said. CA: 2 Nuns Accused of Stealing Substantial Amount of Money From South Bay Catholic School. Kreuper and Chang are both members of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. GQ may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. She was running the school that these parents had chosen to send their children [to], and not just for the academics. The sisters stole a total of $500,000, or half a million dollars, officials said. We've received your submission. Until this last spring, Kreuper was the principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance and Chang was. Kreuper even took fellow nuns on some of those excursions and spent thousands of the elementary schools money, Kumar said. There were parents who spoke today about how their kids are no longer affiliated with the church.. As principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California, she certainly did but while also embezzling more than $835,000 in funds to support her secretive gambling habit. So shes basically under house arrest, which she accepts.. She served as the schools principal for 29 years. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Kumar added Kreupers scheme was revealed after the school performed an informal audit shortly after the nun announced she would be retiring as principal in 2018. 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." Kreuper admitted embezzling about $835,000 (616,000) in donations, tuition and fee money between . Kreuper stole about $83,000 per year, which is the equivalent of tuition for 14 students, prosecutors argued. Meanwhile, she would falsify monthly and annual reports to cover up her conduct. In July 1520, when scarcely four and a half years old, she entertained a visiting French delegation with a performance on the virginals (a type of harpsichord). Church officials expressed willingness to forgive the two sisters for embezzling half a million dollars from the church. 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.. Defense attorney Mark Byrne told The Post that Kreuper joined her order when she was 18 years old and has been an educator for 54 years. Prosecutors asked for a sentence of two years, but US District Judge Otis D. Wright II said during Mondays sentencing that he also struggled to find the proper sentence for the nun, and even said she was one heck of a teacher., You can be proud of that, Wright said, according to the LA Times. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, of Los Angeles, will plead guilty to fraud and money laundering and faces up to 40 years in prison, the U.S. Department of Justice announced. ", U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II said at last year's plea hearing that he was raised as a Roman Catholic, "and was educated by nuns. People gamble in a casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in this illustrative image. In total, it is believed she stole $835,339 at least that authorities are currently aware of. By Megan Carpentier The St. James Catholic Church school in Torrance, California, on February 7, 2022. The nuns embezzlement first came to light when Sister Mary Margaret was about to retire, according to church officials. "I've used this to teach my son that we're all human, we all make mistakes, but the power of forgiveness is the most powerful tool that we have. Sister Mary Margaret Gambling. She is very sorry for any harm she has caused.". Kreuper controlled accounts at a credit union, including a savings account for the school and one established to pay the living expenses of nuns -- who had taken a vow of poverty -- employed by the school, prosecutors said. After charges were filed, her attorneys issued a statement saying Sister Mary Margaret suffered "from mental illness that clouded her judgment and caused her to do something that she otherwise would not have done. Kreuper has admitted she took the money and expressed remorse. Kreuper was the schools principal for 29 years. Last updated on: February 7, 2022, 08:42h. Of course! She also managed several of the schools bank accounts, including one that had been set up to pay the living expenses of the other nuns who worked there. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admitted embezzling $835,000 from St James Catholic School in the LA suburb of Torrance. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admitted embezzling $835,000 from St James Catholic School in the LA suburb of Torrance. Shawn Christopher Flannery, age 50 of Batesville, passed away January 28, 2023 at Margaret Mary Health after a long battle with cancer. Playing at online casino for real money can be a thrilling experience! Thanks for contacting us. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, was sentenced to one year and one day for fraud and money laundering. Looking back, though, wasnt it a little strange that Sister Mary Margaret was always organizing poker nights at the school for charity, and that she always made the final table? While Kreuper spent the schools funds on gambling trips, the former principal continued to ask parents to donate more money to the school on top of their $6,000 annual tuition. The 80-year-old nun also was ordered to pay a total of. Parents told The Daily Breeze in December 2018 they were not prepared to absolve Kreuper of her sins. Kreuper, who apologized to the community during Mondays sentencing, also made a Hail Mary plea to the judge for leniency. Sister Mary Margaret worked at the school for 29 years. Kreuper acknowledged that for a period of 10 years ending in September 2018, she embezzled $835,339 from St. James Catholic School. The rich uncle was the parents of the St. James students.. Crime Calif. Nun, 80, Sentenced for Stealing More than $800K from Catholic School to Fund Gambling Addiction Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper pleaded guilty for using funds to pay for. Apply Bed Bath and Beyond coupon and save 25% off your entire purchase, Target Circle: up to 50% off with Target promo code, With Asos Promo Code you take 70% OFF Select styles, Michael Kors promo code: sign up for KORSVIP + Get 10% off on First Order, 2023 Cond Nast. Eventually, a forensic accountant discovered that there was a half-million dollars missing from the schools accounts. Substantial amount of school funds for their personal use.https://t.co/nIiuz3JiDR, Dalton (@DaltonReport) December 1, 2018. She also admitted to falsifying monthly and annual financial reports, and to telling school employees to alter and destroy financial records during an audit, the prosecutors statement and court documents said. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. And wasnt it even weirder that she was going to Vegas all the time? The statement also condemned the embezzlement, saying, we will not defend the actions of our Sisters. Kreuper was only exposed when she retired in 2018 and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles noted some irregularities in the schools bookkeeping while searching for her replacement. It was then that Kreuper started to get nervous and told two employees to destroy documents and directed them to not mention to the auditors that certain documents were missing. But not all the parishioners were as understanding. Officials said that they carried out an internal audit as a matter of routine, since the school was about to get new leadership. Name, email and comment will be stored in our database. Kreupers crimes occurred during her role as the schools principal, a position from which she retired in 2018. A staff writer for All Thats Interesting, Marco Margaritoff has also published work at outlets including People, VICE, and Complex, covering everything from film to finance to technology. By Colin Groundwater June 9, 2021 Two summers ago, Sean Flynn reported a wild story for GQ about two very. Sisters Mary Margaret Kreuper and Lana Chang, who belong to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, are suspected of embezzling a "substantial" amount of money from a Catholic school in. Wikimedia CommonsKreuper used the stolen funds for personal expenses like paying off credit cards but primarily to finance her gambling habit at casinos across Nevada. All rights reserved. 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 to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. The two embezzling sisters are Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang. Your IP: They did not necessarily overlook, but asked to judge her more by her entire life rather than the theft from by St. James (Catholic School). 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 nuns took a vow of poverty and said, 'Oh no, we've got a rich uncle'. This was really an abuse of position of trust, right, Kumar said. However, Sister Kreuper wasnt alone in her scheme. The attorney said the nuns had spent the money on gambling trips and on vacations. Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times/Getty ImagesSister Mary Kreuper served as the principal at St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California, for 28 years. Regardless, dont trust any nun who absolutely crushes Texas Holdem, and read Flynns original story here. Two nuns in California allegedly stole more than $500,000 from the school they had been at for years, which they spent in casinos and on vacations. The diocese had initially called the police, but after the nuns confessed they said they wouldnt press charges against the nuns. "At our school, we have initiated additional procedures and oversight policies for financial management and reporting responsibilities," Meyers wrote. Shawn is the son of Linda and Bill Flannery born November 25, 1972 in Cincinnati, Ohio. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. 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The disgraced nun stole hundreds of thousands of . They added that 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., They said Sister Mary Margaret became a nun when she was 18, and for the next 59 years she dedicated her life to helping others and educating children in Archdiocesan schools.. The employees then reported Kreuper to the monsignor of the parish, Kumar said. Its unclear what will happen to Chang, or whether shes even involved in any ongoing investigation. To absolve Kreuper of her sins arrest, which is the equivalent of tuition for 14 students ''. Stealing Substantial Amount of money from South Bay Catholic School in the suburb. The judge for leniency Kreuper has admitted she took the money on gambling trips and vacations. 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