When the fraudulent behavior first came to light, the order was deeply disappointed and offered to repay the lost funds only believed to be $500,000 at the time. According to the outlet, "Kreuper acknowledged diverting money to pay for personal expenses that included credit card charges and 'large gambling expenses incurred at casinos,' the U.S. attorney's office said.". BroBible is the #1 place on the internet for the very best content from the worlds of sports, culture, gear, high tech, and more. 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. The account was opened in 1997 but had not been used in years, until Sister Mary Margaret started diverting checks into the forgotten account. 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. In December of that year, fraud allegations emerged against her and another nun, Sister Lana Chang, who had taught at the school. ", Church says nuns embezzled from SoCal school to cover Vegas gambling tripswww.youtube.com. 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. The pair confessed to using the funds for gambling excursions to Las Vegas and other spending sprees. Officials pointed out that Kreuper had taken a vow of poverty as a nun. Kreuper stole the funds over the course of ten years, ending in 2018. 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. 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). An old unused bank account was the giveaway. Your membership is the foundation of our sustainability and resilience. 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 . 2022 Blaze Media LLC. By signing up to the Blaze News newsletter you agree to receive electronic communications from Blaze Media that may sometimes include advertisements or sponsored content. He added, Its not meant as an excuse. She claimed that she was fired after she told her superior, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Mr Kumar said that jealousy played a part, calling the episode "really an abuse of position of trust". They dont want you to see this Big Tech does its best to limit what news you see. While claiming to live financially destitute like Jesus Christ is probably blasphemous, using the old Im poor, but my uncle is rich line and getting away with it speaks to Sister Mary Margarets impressive poker face. 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. The embezzlement helped to fuel her gambling habit. Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana were in the clear. When Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper became a nun, she took vows to live as Jesus did through chastity, obedience and service to the poor, sick and uneducated. She is set to be arraigned in court on July 1. (deployads = window.deployads || []).push({}); (function() { By Megan Carpentier. G7 summit - Biden brings 1.2m Cadillac The Beast but will it fit down Cornwalls tiny country lanes. Of course, at 79, the likelihood that Sister Mary Margaret will see any jail time is relatively slim. Make sure you see our stories daily directly to your inbox. 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 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. During the time period this was happening, she had no idea this was happening. Mark Byrne, Kreupers attorney, told The Post his client had accepted the judges one-year prison sentence, even if they were pushing for probation. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, was sentenced to a year in prison and ordered to pay $825,338 in restitution. Shes very, very remorseful and very ashamed, he said. Advice for the relationships in your life and how to boost your own well-being. Investigators determined the money went to accounts the school didnt know about, Kumar said. 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. That was the first clue that unraveled a significant scheme. zergnet.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? 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.. 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. 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. But. "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. We've received your submission. (Shutterstock) LOS ANGELES, CA The retired principal of a Catholic . By Colin Groundwater June 9, 2021 Two summers ago, Sean Flynn reported a wild story for GQ about two very. In a statement to The Washington Post, Kreupers lawyers said she is very remorseful and sorry for any harm she has caused. 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. "I have sinned," Sister Mary told a US . Kreuper, he said, quoting an expert, was addicted to gambling, adding that it "is not an excuse for what she did merely an explanation". I don't drink coffee, I wake up jacked. But when it came to the vow of poverty, the Southern California nun struggled to maintain her promise to the Catholic Church because of a gambling addiction that was out of control for a decade. The two announced their retirement at the same time and were on their way out in 2018. 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. Her attorney said Kreuper will be on supervised release for two years once her prison sentence is complete. We use cookies to better understand website visitors, for advertising, and to offer you a better experience. Kreuper retired as principal of St. James' Catholic School in 2018, after holding that position for 28 years. 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. Prosecutors say the nun also ordered school employees to alter and destroy financial records during the audit. Chief Justice John Roberts announced the opinion from the bench, noting that the teacher who brought the case was not a lay teacher. Were those functions to be considered ministerial, Fisher says, the results would be dire. 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. 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. Poonam Kumar, the assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California who prosecuted the case, told The Washington Post that Kreuper had diverted checks and cash from St. James parents into a long-overlooked church account to pay for large gambling expenses incurred at casinos and certain credit-card charges. The actions were done before the money could be accounted for, displaying repetitive and deceptive behavior, over and over again, the prosecutor said. Sister Mary Margaret was caught in 2018. These nuns took a vow of poverty and said, oh no, weve got a rich uncle, one parent told the Press-Telegram. Church officials said they did not wish to press charges against the sisters, who both expressed remorse. Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana were both Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. 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 Gambling Nuns" saga is unlikely to come up at the Supreme Court, but it certainly is on Darryl Biel's mind. 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. 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. The second suit was brought by Kristen Biel against St. James School in Torrance. My actions were in violation of my vows, my commandments, the law and, above all, the sacred trust that so many had placed in me. Despite the ongoing thefts, financial statements revealed the church continuing to operate in the black as the two sisters clandestinely plowed through church funds. 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. She admitted to taking a total of $835,000 in donations from the elementary school, and faces up to 40 years in federal prison. 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. It was only after she vacated her position that school officials unearthed her fraudulent scheme. The nun took frequent gambling trips to Las Vegas and holidays to Lake Tahoe and other locations in southern California, according to Poonam Kumar, the assistant US attorney. Her embezzlement activities took place from about 2008-2018. These nuns took a vow of poverty and said, Oh no, weve got a rich uncle, parent Jack Alexander said. A spokesperson with St. James did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. zergnet.type = 'text/javascript'; zergnet.async = true; A spokesperson for the order confirmed for Snopes that, as of June 9, 2021, Kreuper was still a member of the Los Angeles congregation, but the restrictions against her remained in place, and she was no longer involved in any public ministry. 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.. The judge settled on a prison sentence of one year and a day and also ordered Kreuper to pay back the money she had stolen from the school. The Daily Caller | 1775 Eye Street NW | Suite 1150-290 | Washington, DC 20006. She's obviously not employable.". LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) Mary Margaret Kreuper, a now-retired nun who was the principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance, has agreed to plead guilty to fraud and money laundering charges. Michael Meyers, the pastor at St. James Church. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, of Los Angeles, was sentenced Monday to one year and one day for fraud and money laundering charges. She spent the next 59 years of her life dedicated to the church, they said. "https:" : "http:") + '//www.zergnet.com/zerg.js?id=47402'; 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.. 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 80-year-old nun also was ordered to pay a total of. var zergnet = document.createElement('script'); In these records you will find the most recent and the most authoritative articles on the topics, people and events that are shaping the . 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. Similar articles were published by the Los Angeles Times, KTLA, and Unilad.co.uk.
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