Kreuper was in charge of the schools credit union account, where she was meant to deposit cash and checks from tuition, fees and donations. Kreuper has agreed to plead guilty to the charges in a deal with prosecutors, the US Attorney's Office of California said in a statement. 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. Those reports were accurate, and we are issuing a rating of "True.". Make sure you see our stories daily directly to your inbox. Sister Mary Margaret was making bank (very illegally) through laundering and threw everyone off of the scent by reminding them of her vow of poverty. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, the retired principal of St. James Catholic School in California, has been sentenced to one year and a day in prison on charges of money laundering and federal wire. They dont want you to see this Big Tech does its best to limit what news you see. It turns out that at the time Kristen Biel learned she had breast cancer, Kreuper, the school principal who fired her, was embezzling large amounts of money to go on gambling sprees in Las Vegas. Kristen Biel would return to teaching elsewhere while fighting her case in court, but in June 2019, she died. She is set to be arraigned in court on July 1. She claimed that she was fired after she told her superior, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Of course, at 79, the likelihood that Sister Mary Margaret will see any jail time is relatively slim. 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. But how do we define who is a minister and who is not? "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 pair said in a joint statement. 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. All rights reserved. But Fisher notes that the schools in these cases do not claim any religious reason for firing the teachers. "Millions of people across the country who never thought or understood themselves to be leaders of the faith" would now "magically have no employment protections," he says. She just enjoyed gambling, he said. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admits to stealing over $835k from a Catholic School. The schools, "have never asserted that either of [the teachers] fell short in any religious duty or adherence to the faith," he says. In June 2021, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admitted to embezzling $835,000 from the Catholic school where she served as principal for 28 years. Sister Mary Margaret became a nun when she turned 18 in 1960 and took a vow of poverty. We've received your submission. Michael Meyers, the pastor at St. James Church. Mr Kumar said that jealousy played a part, calling the episode "really an abuse of position of trust". Advice for the relationships in your life and how to boost your own well-being. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. Jaclyn Peiser contributed to this report. 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. Prosecutors said that she had also instructed school employees to alter and destroy financial records. 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. 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. Kreuper admitted embezzling about $835,000 (616,000) in donations, tuition and fee money between 2008 and 2018. The Rev. I promised her I would see this through," he says. 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 vow leads a nun to imitate Jesus, who for our sake became poor, although he was rich. When this was going on, she was not nearly as old. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang were seen as two of the strictest nuns at St James Catholic School in Torrance, California. Kreuper falsified monthly and annual reports to cover up her crime and asked school employees to alter and destroy financial records during an audit. News of the indiscretions led to the archdiocese and the church announcing they wouldnt file criminal charges against the nuns after apologizing for their actions. In doing so, she agreed to plead guilty to: The money laundering charge relates to an episode in 2017, in which Kreuper improperly deposited checks from parents of pupils at the school into a convent bank account, rather than the school's bank account, then later used the convent account to write a $6,000 check to another unnamed person who subsequently cashed the check and gave Kreuper $6,000 in cash "so she could gamble in Nevada.". ", "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. At the sentencing hearing, those who spoke were split on their feelings toward the nun and what she had done. Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana were in the clear. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper A curated collection of links The Record What are records? 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. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, was sentenced to a year in prison and ordered to pay $825,338 in restitution. Also implicated in the scheme was Lana Chang, who worked as a teacher at St. James before becoming vice principal. 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, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The nuns order says the woman are cooperating and intend to pay all of the money back in full. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper had taken a vow of poverty. But they asserted that the courts should dismiss the cases because the teachers were essentially ministers, and thus were not protected under the federal employment laws. 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. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com. 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 sisters, described as best friends, both retired earlier this year. I wanted to see them. Claiming mental illness at her age is a play for probation or the ability to serve her sentence at home. I don't drink coffee, I wake up jacked. Dan Mac Guill is a former writer for Snopes. She must give up the right to control or benefit from personal property and commits herself to live interdependently within a community. The now-retired nun (I didnt know nuns could retire) admitted to stealing about $835,000 in donations, tuition and fees. As a Catholic nun, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper had taken a vow of poverty. Kreuper was 18 years old when she took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, her lawyers told the Post. There is another, and rather rich, twist to one of the cases before the court Monday. Prosecutors say the nun also ordered school employees to alter and destroy financial records during the audit. We use cookies to better understand website visitors, for advertising, and to offer you a better experience. Wright acknowledged in court that while he struggled to judge Kreuper, a decorated principal, on the worst thing that shes done in her life, the impact nuns have on young people in leading by example is crucial and the nuns actions gambled away that guiding principle. 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. 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.. She wanted more than she had.. 2022 Blaze Media LLC. G7 summit - Biden brings 1.2m Cadillac The Beast but will it fit down Cornwalls tiny country lanes. The St. James Catholic Church school in Torrance, California, on February 7, 2022. Your membership is the foundation of our sustainability and resilience. Mary Margaret Kreuper was so close to getting away with it. The Greatest Food Debates Of All Time, Answered Pineapple On Pizza? Many parents were outraged with the initial decision not to press charges, with some remarking that if the nuns were lay people, they would certainly be in jail according to the presstelegram. 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. St.James Catholic School caught embezzling $500K for personal use, including gambling as church declines to press charges. But the court's eventual decision could reach beyond teachers, affecting the lives of millions of other employees who work for religiously affiliated institutions. She faces up to 40 years in federal prison, but is claiming mental illness. BroBible is the #1 place on the internet for the very best content from the worlds of sports, culture, gear, high tech, and more. 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. 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." 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". Let us pray for our school families and for Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana, the letter added. James School.. An old unused bank account was the giveaway. On. Michael Meyers, the churchs monsignor, said Kreuper was very nervous and anxious during the audit and she reportedly asked staff members to change school records. Kumar said the nuns instruction to the auditors sparked suspicion, and they reported the incident to Msgr. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, of Los Angeles, was sentenced Monday to one year and one day for fraud and money laundering charges. 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.. 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. 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. 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. 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). All rights reserved. Kreuper became principal at St. James Catholic School in 1990, a position she held for 28 years until her retirement in September 2018. The school soon had a change of heart following pushback. St. James teacher Lana Chang admitted along with Kreuper to the embezzlement in 2018, following each of their retirements earlier that year. 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. "Far from it. The account was opened in 1997 but had not been used in years, until Sister Mary Margaret started diverting checks into the forgotten account. The rich uncle was the parents of the St. James students.. 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. Two nuns who formerly worked at St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California, confessed to embezzling at least $500,000 from the school so that they could gamble it away at Las Vegas casinos, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles said at a meeting with parents and alumni on Monday. 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 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. Starting in 2008, Kreuper diverted school funds to pay for expenses that the order would not have approved, much less paid for, prosecutors say. 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. Sister Kreuper who took a vow of poverty confessed to using the embezzled funds to pay for personal expenses, including her gambling habit. In total, across a period of 10 years, Kreuper siphoned $835,339 from the school's accounts. Police will still present the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office, NBC reported. After taking a vow of poverty, her excuse for lavish gambling expenses is hilarious. Rassbach will tell the Supreme Court that not everyone who works at a religious school or institution is exempt from these laws. As principal of St. James Catholic School, she oversaw the money the school received to pay for tuition and fees as well as charitable donations. 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.. 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". Local 10 Newsreported Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang of St.James Catholic School(both retiring earlier this year) using money from the schools funds to live a life of luxury over the last ten years. James Convent, not St. Ultimately, "they are not people we understand to be spiritual leaders of the church.". Get the news that matters most delivered directly to your inbox. At Monday's argument, Stanford law professor Jeff Fisher, who is representing the teachers, will tell the justices that by the terms of the teachers' contracts and the school handbooks, these teachers were hired to teach academic subjects. Parents and alumni of St. James told KTTV-TV in late 2018 that they hoped the school followed through with pursuing criminal complaints against Kreuper and Chang. 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.. 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. I wanted them to see me," he says "and I just pray that the justices see the right way.". "I wanted to face them. 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. After much public outcry to pursue legal action, the archdiocese hired a former FBI agent to investigate the two nuns. 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. The Torrance Police Department, the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation into the allegations against Kreuper. 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. 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