Sister Mary Margaret Gambling. Teacher quits union as pro-Palestinian stance left her fee King Charles to evict Harry and Meghan from Frogmore Cottage and give to Andrew, 'Elvis' star Austin Butler was rushed to ER after 'body just started shutting down', Drug-resistant stomach bug spreading across US: 'Serious public health alert', Meghan Markle, Prince Harry have first night out since bombshell Spare released, Jordyn Woods supports Selena Gomez amid singers feud with Kylie Jenner, Hailey Bieber, RHONJ recap: Jennifer Aydin mocks Rachel Fudas terrible nose job, Heroic bus driver saves student from passing car, Savannah Guthrie Rushed Out Of Today After Testing Positive For COVID-19 During Live Broadcast, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry have first night out since bombshell 'Spare' released. He added that an expert report explained she had a gambling addiction. She was the principal. 178.79.131.117 Let us pray for our school families and for Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana," Myers added . CA: 2 Nuns Accused of Stealing Substantial Amount of Money From South Bay Catholic School. "I was wrong, and I am profoundly sorry for the pain and the suffering that I have caused so many people.". She is very sorry for any harm she has caused.". To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com. He said some former St. James Catholic School students even wrote letters to the judge in support of their former teacher and principal. . ", 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. Seemingly in the clear after that, she used the embezzled cash for expenses that the order would not have approved, much less paid for from Nevada casinos to paying off credit cards. We've received your submission. Scott Varley/Torrance Daily Breeze, via Getty Images. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, of Los Angeles, was sentenced Monday to one year and one day for fraud and money laundering charges. 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 have broken the law, and I have no excuses, Kreuper said during Mondays hearing, according to the LA Times. The 80-year-old nun also was ordered to pay a total of. The embezzlement helped to fuel her gambling habit. This was really an abuse of position of trust, right, Kumar said. That order has also paid for Kreupers living expenses for multiple decades. She was running the school that these parents had chosen to send their children [to], and not just for the academics. Sister Mary Margaret retired in June after 28 years as principal of the K-8 school, which serves students from Torrance and Redondo Beach. The nuns embezzlement first came to light when Sister Mary Margaret was about to retire, according to church officials. Officials said that they carried out an internal audit as a matter of routine, since the school was about to get new leadership. She said that she diverted school funds into the St. James convent account and then into its federal credit union savings account. Until this last spring, Kreuper was the principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance and Chang was. The World's Online Gaming Authority Since 1995, Gambling Nuns Embezzled $500,000 from California School, Blew it On Casino Junkets, Gambling Nun Gets One Year in Prison for Stealing $835k from L.A. The rich uncle was the parents of the St. James students," he said. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. 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 was 47 years old and had been a Catholic educator for more than 19 years when she came to St. James School in 1988. Head Nun Caught Stealing Over $800,000 From Catholic Elementary School Where She Worked. Substantial amount of school funds for their personal use.https://t.co/nIiuz3JiDR, Dalton (@DaltonReport) December 1, 2018. "The church tells us to forgive those who have trespassed against us," Kearns said. 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. Before Kreuper was sentenced, parents of children attending St. James and former students sent letters about Kreuper's role at the school and the impact of her actions. Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times/Getty ImagesSister Mary Kreuper served as the principal at St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California, for 28 years. According to documents accompanying the plea agreement, Sister Mary Margaret diverted school funds into the schools convent account and its federal credit union savings account, and then used the money for expenses that the order would not have approved, much less paid for, including large gambling expenses at casinos in Nevada and credit card charges. 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 . 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. news, guides, reviews and information since 1995. He holds dual bachelor's degrees from Pace University and a master's degree from New York University. 3 Inmates Taken To Hospitals After Medical Emergency At LA County Jail, SoCal Storm Timeline: When To Expect More Rain, Snow And A Reprieve, Downed Trees & Mud Flows + Check Out Supremes Floating Skate Bowl, 'Cookin with GAS' 30th Anniversary Improv 2023: Groundlings, Los Angeles/WeHo, AlienCon 2023: Convention Center, Pasadena, The Best You Expo is coming to the Los Angeles Convention Center, 3 Days to Party Celebrating Women Everyday in LA, LA Cat Extravaganza & Adoption Event 2023: Fairplex, Pomona, 5th Annual The Best You Awards Ceremony and Charity Gala, Personal Assistant for Older New Yorkers in Manhattan NYC, Modeling Agency For Prostitution Scheme And Sexual Exploitation: AG, Shaken My Turkey's Death Toll, County Looks To Require Quake Retrofits, CA Scandal-Makers & Movie-Makers Shape 2022's Most Popular Baby Names, Michelin Adds 30 SoCal Restaurants To Prestigious Guide, Only In California: Car Chases Even Hollywood Couldn't Dream Up. Your IP: Kreuper used the stolen funds for personal expenses like paying off credit cards but primarily to finance her gambling habit at casinos across Nevada. Kreuper even took fellow nuns on some of those excursions and spent thousands of the elementary schools money, Kumar said. But according to the US Attorneys Office Central District of California, Kreuper 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.. 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? Besides, both the nuns in question were in positions of trust. One man, whose children attend St James, grumbled that the nuns had been using the school as if it was their own private ATM. "These nuns took a vow of poverty and said, 'Oh no, we've got a rich uncle'. She diverted school funds into the St. James Convent Account and the St. James Savings Account, which were used "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," the Department of Justice stated. Principal, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, and teacher Sister Lana Chang. After reading about the retired nun who stole over $800,000 to support her gambling habit, learn about the dead priest whose DNA could help solve a nun's decades-old murder. Wasnt it weird that she and her friends won every single raffle. Bobby Kent And The Murder That Inspired The Cult Classic Film "Bully", What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch, Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images. We do know that they had a pattern of going on trips. Parents said the two nuns were big on moral fortitude . Some of them said they couldnt understand why the school had been operating on shoestring budget while Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana had been going on gambling sprees. "The Sisters of St. Joseph both desire and intend to make complete restitution to St. James School," the Daily Breeze reported. She was rumbled in June 2018, just as she was about to retire after 28 years as principal, when an internal audit blew the lid off the racket. While other checks were being cashed properly and accounted for, the crooked nun deposited other checks in the secret bank accounts before they were even accounted for by staff. But not all the parishioners were as understanding. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, thenView saved stories. They noted that a lay person in the same situation could expect a lengthy prison sentence. Kreuper pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. What happened is wrong. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang of St.James Catholic School caught embezzling $500K for personal use, including gambling as church declines to press charges. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Play Slots for Real Money at Wild Casino Right Now! The disgraced nun stole hundreds of thousands of . According to The New York Times, the 79-year-old retired nun was just recently charged with wire fraud and money laundering. 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. By Megan Carpentier The St. James Catholic Church school in Torrance, California, on February 7, 2022. 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). 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. The two Sisters are removed from their residence and placed in a religious house under the supervision of community leadership. So shes basically under house arrest, which she accepts.. But many parents were furious when they discovered the diocese had decided not to press charges against Kreuper because she had shown remorse.. Name, email and comment will be stored in our database. She is scheduled to appear in the Federal District Court in Los Angeles on July 1. Archdiocese of Los Angeles officials said in a statement that school officials and others cooperated with the investigation. Kreuper had retired as the school's principal earlier this year and she dealt with the school fees, which she allegedly withheld and deposited into an account only she and Chang knew about, the paper said. Sisters Mary Margaret Krueper, left, and Lana Chang. A financial review showed a substantial amount of school funds had been misappropriated for personal use by Sister Mary Margaret, it said. It remains unclear which years specifically she embezzled funds from the school during her 28-year tenure there, though she did admit to doing so for over a decade. Monsignor Micheal Meyers, the pastor at St. James Catholic Church sent a letter to pupils' parents stating that Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, the nuns' order, is cooperating with the parish and the Archdiocese to find out how much money was taken. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Archdiocese lawyer Marge Graf said the nuns' order agreed to pay the school full restitution and impose "severe sanctions" on Kreuper and Chang. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admits to stealing over $835k from a Catholic School. For Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, the rest of her mortal life will be decided in a few short weeks. Since 1957, GQ has inspired men to look sharper and live smarter with its unparalleled coverage of style, culture, and beyond. Sister Mary Margaret became a nun when she turned 18 in 1960 and took a vow of poverty. She alone will face criminal charges. ", But a 12-year-old said Kreuper was "just like any other robber.". Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admits to stealing over $835k from a Catholic School. For a period of 10 years starting in 2008, Kreuper embezzled money from St. James Catholic School where she was the school's principal, a position she held for 28 years. Mary was a precocious child. The attorney said the nuns had spent the money on gambling trips and on vacations. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. "This is not an excuse for what she did," he said. In a statement on Tuesday about Sister Mary Margarets guilty plea, the archdiocese said the revelations had shocked and saddened the community. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Thanks for contacting us. This snapshot of Mary Margaret Bartock's life was captured by the 1940 U.S. Census. On December 10, the order issued a statement about the charges of financial misdoings. We were an ATM, and people know it and they wont ask for justice, Jack Alexander, a father at the school, said. Officials said the sisters were in charge of collecting checks and depositing them into the schools account. Kreuper was the schools principal for 29 years. Meanwhile, she would falsify monthly and annual reports to cover up her conduct. Shawn is the son of Linda and Bill Flannery born November 25, 1972 in Cincinnati, Ohio. 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