hitType: 'event', ga('create', 'UA-67136960-15', 'auto', 'ads'); The church was made aware of the scheme around June when it began a routine audit in response to Kreupers retiring. The revelation came as a rude shock to parents who were led to believe that school was struggling to stay afloat because of a lack of funds. Shes obviously not employable., Byrne also cited an expert report finding that Kreuper was addicted to gambling. But somewhere along the line, you just ran completely off the road, and I think you understand that. Documents state, Kreuper lulled St. James School and the Administration into believing that the schools finances were being properly accounted for and its financial assets properly safeguarded, which, in turn, allowed defendant Kreuper to maintain her access and control of the schools finances and accounts and, thus, continue operating the fraudulent scheme.. She doesnt have any money. In a memo to the judge, prosecutors cited letters from parents and students, including one from a 12-year-old saying Kreuper was just like any other robber.. He is a priest in the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and a former president of the Canadian Canon Law Society. In a series of deeply personal remarks from the bench, Wright, 77, a Marine veteran and former deputy sheriff who has served as a federal judge for 15 years, said he owed where I am today in large part to a nun who inspired him early in life. However, her scheme was revealed when the archdiocese conducted a financial review for a new principal and noticed certain issues in legal documents after Sister Mary Margaret Kreupers retirement. When an audit threatened to expose the scheme, Kreuper instructed St. James employees to destroy documents. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, is seen in this undated photo. }); MEAWW is an initialism for Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide. } Trust shouldnt be broken like that., Kevin Kearns, who met Kreuper in 2011 when he enrolled his son in kindergarten at St. James, asked Wright to show leniency, saying she put the students and parents above everything else., The church tells us to forgive those who have trespassed against us, Kearns said. Kreuper's crimes occurred during her role as the school's principal, a position from which she retired in 2018. During the latest hearing, Mary Margaret Kreuper confessed to her crimes and admitted her wrongdoings: The nun also said that she lulled St. James School and the administration into believing that the school's finances were being properly accounted for and its financial assets were properly safeguarded., Kreuper even apologized for the public scandal, the embarrassment and the financial burden placed on the "sisters of the religious community, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, St. James School, the parishioners, parents and students.". The stolen money could have covered a decade of tuition for 14 students at a school that lacked money for field trips or new books and classroom supplies, prosecutors said. At about $83,000 a year, the amount matches the tuition of 14 students a year, prosecutors said. The lawyers also mentioned that the nun was suffering from a mental illness that clouded her judgment and caused her to do something that she otherwise would not have done. They noted that she was remorseful and very sorry for any harm she has caused., Attorney Kumar also shared that during her confrontation Kreuper mentioned that she embezzled money partly because she believed priests get paid better than nuns.. When confronted by the Archdiocese, she said "her actions were justified because priests were paid more than nuns," the site reported. The Los Angeles Times reports Mary Margaret Kreuper, former principal of St. James Catholic School, was facing 40 years in prison but was sentenced to a year and a day on Monday. Michael Finnegan is a Los Angeles Times reporter covering federal courts and law enforcement. embezzling about a half-million dollars in tuition, fees and donations. She doesnt have anywhere to go, he said. Now Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, is set to spend a year and a day in prison followed by two years of supervised release. She pleaded guilty toone count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering in July 2021, according to prosecutors, as part of a plea deal. Kreuper has paid back $10,000 of what she owes, according to The Long Beach Press-Telegram. She diverted tuition to a secret account, which she used to fund casino trips, prosecutors said. A. The total losses Kreuper caused to St. James Catholic School were $835,339. These also include her gambling trips, revealed federal prosecutors. 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.. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, was sentenced to one year and one day for fraud and money laundering. A lock ( Kreuper controlled accounts at a credit union, including a savings account for the school and one established to pay the . Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, of Los Angeles, was charged last month with one count each of wire fraud and money laundering for embezzling the money over the span of 10 years, up until 2018, the . hitType: 'event', 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 Lake. As per the plea deal, Kreuper reportedly used the embezzled money to fund her personal expenses, including large gambling bets and vacations to Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe and Temecula. Officials with the archdiocese alleged the nuns spent some of the money on personal trips and gambling, the Press-Telegram reported. 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. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. coming from you," he said from the bench when she appeared in court on Thursday. In July, she pleaded guilty to one count each of. As part of her role as the head of the institution, Kreuper oversaw all funds the school received for tuition fees and charitable donations. She said that she falsified monthly and annual reports to cover up her actions to assure the school's administration that its financial assets were in safe hands. Kreuper also falsified the school's monthly and yearly financial reports to hide her embezzlement and, when questioned by parents about the school's resources, told them "there was no money for an awning at school and no money for field trips," prosecutors said. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering on Tuesday and has agreed to a plea deal for allegedly embezzling $835,000 while she was the. Kreuper was sentenced to one year in prison Monday and told to pay back the money. "I don't have to worry about b.s. They both retired at the end of this past school year, shortly before St. James Catholic Church in Redondo Beach was made aware of the alleged embezzlement happening at its school. She is very sorry for any harm she has caused.''. But it doesnt mean hes a criminal, Rain check! The nun served as the principal of the elementary school for nearly 28 years until her retirement in 2018. In a letter addressed to parents and parishioners, he wrote, "Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana have expressed to me and asked that I convey to you, the deep remorse they each feel for their actions and ask for your forgiveness and prayers. document.querySelector("#ads").addEventListener('click',function(){ "Unfortunately, later in her life 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. 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.. Suite 1200 After reviewing all the letters, Wright said, it appeared most families had forgiven Kreuper. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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 fraud for embezzling nearly $835,000 from school funds. "They were just such staunch defenders of moral fortitude, they were really tough on the kids," she said. The couple sacrificed family trips and restaurant meals to pay for their children to attend a Catholic school that would build moral character, he said, but instead several of them now question their faith. A bookkeeper who knew about the nuns' scheme voluntarily took a leave of absence during the investigation, Michael Meyers, the churchs monsignor, said during the meeting, according to the Press-Telegram. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, of Los Angeles, will plead guilty on July 22 to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Urgent needs call us to bold conversation and prophetic action. For three years, Byrne told the judge, the nuns in her order have kept her under severe restrictions at a convent. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of the Arlington Heights neighborhood in Los Angeles, was sentenced by United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II, who also ordered her to pay $825,338 in restitution. Margaret Mary Kreuper has pled guilty to embezzling $835,000 from St. James Catholic School to fund gambling trips and personal expenses (St. James Catholic Church) Who is Mary Margaret Kreuper? Nuns should realize that just by living their lives and living the way they do and treating people the way they do, they affect children for the rest of their lives, said Wright, who fell silent and covered his face in his hands for a long pause during his pronouncement of the sentence. Her plea agreement from June 8 with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California said the 79-year-old had diverted funds into the St. James Convent Account and the St. James Savings Account. The 80-year-old nun also was ordered to pay a total of. 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