Kreupers crimes occurred during her role as the schools principal, a position from which she retired in 2018. Many of the letters I cited and many of the people who spoke, talked about wanting something more from their childrens education. People gamble in a casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in this illustrative image. She was running the school that these parents had chosen to send their children [to], and not just for the academics. In California, a septuagenarian nun faces up to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal fraud and money laundering charges. Let us pray for our school families and for Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana," Myers added . 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The archdiocese and St. James Parish and School are grateful to local and federal law enforcement agencies for their work in the investigation of this matter. Kreuper's attorney Mark Byrne explained that his client, who retired in 2018, has been under strict supervision at her convent. 'I have sinned': 80-year-old gambling nun jailed after blaming gender pay gap for stealing $800,000 from kids Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper said she stole tuition checks and donations in. Sister Mary Margaret retired in June after 28 years as principal of the K-8 school, which serves students from Torrance and Redondo Beach. 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). The sisters stole a total of $500,000, or half a million dollars, officials said. 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. Photo: Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, Jen Shah Reports to Prison to Start Her 6.5-Year Sentence for Telemarketing Fraud Scheme, Jen Shah Gets a Meaningful Tattoo Dedicated to Her Family Before Reporting for Prison, The True Story Behind Hulu's 'Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence', Cold Cases Heat Up: How Advances in DNA Technology Are Helping to Bring Justice for Victims, Jen Shah's'RHOSLC' Costars Claim She Asked Them for Money to Pay Legal Fees amid Court Battle, Who Is Larry Ray? ", But a 12-year-old said Kreuper was "just like any other robber.". Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. 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. Archdiocese lawyer Marge Graf said the nuns' order agreed to pay the school full restitution and impose "severe sanctions" on Kreuper and Chang. Meanwhile, she would falsify monthly and annual reports to cover up her conduct. She'd taught fifth grade at Our Lady of Las Vegas . Casino.org is the worlds leading independent online gaming authority, providing trusted online casino Two nuns from a California Catholic school have been accused of siphoning $500,000 in tuition, fees, and donations that could have gone towards the school's development into a different account that was then used to fund trips and casino visits. CA: 2 Nuns Accused of Stealing Substantial Amount of Money From South Bay Catholic School.Principal, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, and teacher Sister Lana Chang.Substantial amount of school funds for their personal use.https://t.co/nIiuz3JiDR. The two embezzling sisters are Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang. 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.. 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. Police said they were still carrying out their own investigation. Wasnt it weird that she and her friends won every single raffle. 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. Graf said: "We do know that they had a pattern of going on trips, we do know they had a pattern of going to casinos, and the reality is, they used the account as their personal account.". Officials said the sisters were in charge of collecting checks and depositing them into the schools account. 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. 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. Basically, for the last three and a half years, shes been driving her fellow sisters to doctors appointments and things like that. 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. Let the family know you are thinking of them. 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. Some parents said they planned to go to the police as a complaining party. She confessed after the diocese hired an ex-FBI agent to grill staff members at the school. Playing at online casino for real money can be a thrilling experience! Then, read about the Missouri nun who smuggled two pounds of cocaine and blamed her internet boyfriend for doing so. 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." Principal, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, and teacher Sister Lana Chang. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Oh boy, the flying nun really did it this time. But all the while, they were using school funds to pay for their jaunts. Sister Mary Kreuper served as the principal at St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California, for 28 years. Kreuper is the schools former principal. The audit uncovered a long-forgotten account into which Kreuper would divert checks made out to the school. Instead, they planned to address the situation internally through the investigation, restitution, and sanctions on the sisters. But that plan changed with the charges recently brought up against Sister Kreuper. 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. In addition to stealing $835,339, she falsified monthly and annual reports, and instructed employees to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit. Parents told The Daily Breeze in December 2018 they were not prepared to absolve Kreuper of her sins. 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. Kreuper pleaded guilty to the charges in July and also admitted she falsified monthly and annual reports to the school administration, and told employees to cover up her fraudulent conduct. The archdiocese informed authorities of the matter in 2018 when financial reviews during a change in leadership showed a substantial amount of school funds had been misappropriated for personal use by Sister Mary Margaret during her tenure as school principal, church officials said. Parents have acknowledged that there were a number of red flags at St. James, but no one wants to assume the worst of nuns. Head Nun Caught Stealing Over $800,000 From Catholic Elementary School Where She Worked. Shawn graduated from Batesville High School in 1991 before attending Ball State University and receiving his BS from . Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang were seen as two of the strictest nuns at St James Catholic School in Torrance, California. She broke the law, she has no excuses for it and she took full responsibility.. Last updated on: February 7, 2022, 08:42h. When Mary Margaret Bartock was born about 1938, her father, Steve, was 39, and her mother, Elizabeth, was 29. A great part of her early education came from her mother, who consulted the Spanish humanist Juan Luis Vives for advice and commissioned him to write De Institutione Feminae Christianae, a treatise on the . 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. Kreuper, who apologized to the community during Mondays sentencing, also made a Hail Mary plea to the judge for leniency. We continue to offer our prayers for all impacted by this matter.. Their crimes came to light in 2018, and earlier this week, Kreuper pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and money laundering. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. A Los Angeles nun jailed for stealing more than $800,000 to fund a gambling habit has admitted "I have sinned". Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, first made headlines in 2018 after she and another nun were found to have taken as much as $500,000 to finance gambling trips to Las Kreuper was the schools principal for 29 years. 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. We've received your submission. While investigators found the two gave some of the stolen money back to the school, the rest was used for their "personal gain." Her religious order, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, has yet to publicly comment on the matter. She had reportedly worked there for 20 years before both retired in 2018, shortly before their scandal was revealed. Kreuper acknowledged that for a period of 10 years ending in September 2018, she embezzled $835,339 from St. James Catholic School. Performance & security by Cloudflare. 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). 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. Alexander also pointed out that the two nuns had routinely lied to parents at the school about how they were paying for their vacations and their gambling trips. 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. So there were a considerable number of parents who were very upset and obviously feeling quite betrayed. . However, Sister Kreuper wasnt alone in her scheme. The two nuns. Officials said that they carried out an internal audit as a matter of routine, since the school was about to get new leadership. Assistant US Attorney Poonam Kumar told The Post that the wayward nun took frequent gambling trips to Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, Temecula and other locations throughout Southern California. He added that an expert report explained she had a gambling addiction. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Southern California authorities have revealed two nuns allegedly embezzling up to $500K which was parlayed . A financial review showed a substantial amount of school funds had been misappropriated for personal use by Sister Mary Margaret, it said. Defense attorneys said Kreuper became a nun when she was 18 years old, and for the next 59 years "dedicated her life to helping others and educating children in Archdiocesan schools. Regardless, dont trust any nun who absolutely crushes Texas Holdem, and read Flynns original story here. 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. ", 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. Kreuper stole about $83,000 per year, which is the equivalent of tuition for 14 students, prosecutors argued. 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. Alexander said, These nuns took a vow of poverty and said, Oh, no, weve got a rich uncle, Alexander told the paper. Its unclear what will happen to Chang, or whether shes even involved in any ongoing investigation. Nun Stole Over $800,000 to Support Gambling Habit, Prosecutors Say, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/09/us/california-nun-guilty-gambling.html. 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. 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. Two summers ago, Sean Flynn reported a wild story for GQ about two very badly behaved nuns: Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, and Sister Lana Chang, a principal and a teacher at St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California. 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 nuns decades-old murder. He holds dual bachelor's degrees from Pace University and a master's degree from New York University. Kevin Kearns, who enrolled his son in kindergarten in 2011, says he has used this as a teachable moment and asked for leniency for Kreuper, the LA Times reported. It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Richard D. Stabile. On December 10, the order issued a statement about the charges of financial misdoings. 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. The first steps with free slots are easy, but once you are ready to switch to real . As principal -- a position she had for nearly 30 years before she retired -- Kreuper was responsible for the money the school received to pay for tuition and fees, as well as for charitable donations, according to documents filed in Los Angeles federal court. A subsequent financial review found that a substantial amount of school funds had been misappropriated for personal use by Sister Mary Margaret, with the Torrance Police Department expanding its investigation into the matter in December 2018. Diverting embezzled funds into secret accounts, Kreuper used the money "to pay for expenses that the order would not have approved, much less paid for," including large gambling expenses and trips to Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe and Temecula, according to her plea agreement. Most of the funds she blew on gambling trips to Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe with . She alone will face criminal charges. But in fact, the sisters were only depositing some of the checks that came in. Sisters Mary Margaret Krueper, left, and Lana Chang. Chang was a teacher for 20 years before being promoted to vice principal. Kreuper is also accused of directing school employees to alter and destroy financial records while the audit was in process. 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. Of course! And wasnt it even weirder that she was going to Vegas all the time? The fraud came to light after the accused, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang . 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. But not all the parishioners were as understanding. A disgraced nun who stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Los Angeles Catholic elementary school and went on Vegas gambling sprees will be reciting her penance from inside a federal prison cell. Eventually, a forensic accountant discovered that there was a half-million dollars missing from the schools accounts. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admitted embezzling $835,000 from St James Catholic School in the LA suburb of Torrance. GQ may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Mary was a precocious child. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, who was principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California, used the school funds to . We've received your submission. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper was sentenced to a year in prison after she admitted to stealing more than $835,000 from a Southern California school to fund her gambling addiction. By Megan Carpentier The St. James Catholic Church school in Torrance, California, on February 7, 2022. She was the principal. Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times/Getty ImagesSister Mary Kreuper served as the principal at St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California, for 28 years. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, was also ordered to pay $825,338 in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Kreuper claimed she had a rich uncle who paid for the trips. The offices of the U.S. attorney for the Central District of California revealed that she had used funds raised for the school for personal expenses as well as gambling. 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