Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, of Los Angeles, was sentenced Monday to one year and one day for fraud and money laundering charges. The St. James Catholic Church school in Torrance, California, on February 7, 2022. The rich uncle was the parents of the St. James students.. Sister Kreuper who took a vow of poverty confessed to using the embezzled funds to pay for personal expenses, including her gambling habit. Officials made the discovery in June after performing a routine audit following Kreupers retirement. The two holy women were eventually caught out after a recent audit. She's obviously not employable.". The Torrance Police Department, the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation into the allegations against Kreuper. Sister Lana Chang, a vice principal who was initially implicated in the scheme, was not charged. When this was going on, she was not nearly as old. 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.. Now, nearly three years later, she faces up to 40 years in prison and will appear in the Federal District Court in Los Angeles on July 1. There is another, and rather rich, twist to one of the cases before the court Monday. 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. The Greatest Food Debates Of All Time, Answered Pineapple On Pizza? All rights reserved. Kreuper, who had taken a vow of poverty as a nun, worked as a principal at St. James Catholic School in Torrance for 28 years and allegedly embezzled the funds for 10 years until her retirement in 2018. 15 Episodes of Seinfeld That Teach Everything You Need To Know About Life. 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. In a statement to the Washinton Post her attorneys, Mark A. Byrne and Daniel V. Nixon, said she is very remorseful and sorry for any harm she has caused.. (deployads = window.deployads || []).push({}); (function() { 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. 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Cyclist falls to her death after drawbridge opens while shes on it, Trump tells Joe Rogan to stop apologizing for Spotify controversies, Frozen out of GoFundMe, Canadian protest convoy raises millions on Christian sit. Mr Kumar said that jealousy played a part, calling the episode "really an abuse of position of trust". 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". "Such action interferes with the internal governance of the church, depriving the church of control over the selection of those who will personify its beliefs.". Kreuper, who pleaded guilty last summer to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering, was also ordered by U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II to pay more than $825,000 in restitution. But how do we define who is a minister and who is not? She faces up to 40 years in federal prison, but is claiming mental illness. 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. Meyers reported it to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, who hired their own auditor. 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. The Rev. According to prosecutors, Kreuper admitted that she falsified monthly and annual reports to the school administration to cover up her fraudulent conduct and 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.. Claiming mental illness at her age is a play for probation or the ability to serve her sentence at home. But. The scheme was uncovered during an audit after Kreuper retired in 2018. 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. After much public outcry to pursue legal action, the archdiocese hired a former FBI agent to investigate the two nuns. Also implicated in the scheme was Lana Chang, who worked as a teacher at St. James before becoming vice principal. 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". 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. 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.". 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. 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. Rassbach will tell the Supreme Court that not everyone who works at a religious school or institution is exempt from these laws. They say she also instructed employees at the school to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit, investigators found. Kreuper originally pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering back in 2021. Recap: Court Weighs Whether Religious Schools Can Fire Lay Workers, Listen Live: Supreme Court Arguments Schedule, Top 5 Moments From The Supreme Court's 1st Week Of Livestreaming Arguments, Fervor Vs Compromise At Supreme Court Birth Control Arguments, Supreme Court Arguments A Tech Success, But Format Strangles Usual Give-And-Take, Supreme Court Considers Anti-Prostitution Pledge In HIV/AIDS Funding Case. When staff members finally found the check, they realized that it was not deposited in a St. James account, but a different bank account. The Daily Caller | 1775 Eye Street NW | Suite 1150-290 | Washington, DC 20006. That was the first clue that unraveled a significant scheme. They dont want you to see this Big Tech does its best to limit what news you see. 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 sisters, described as best friends, both retired earlier this year. For decades, lower courts have recognized an exception to the nation's employment laws for ministers. In total, across a period of 10 years, Kreuper siphoned $835,339 from the school's accounts. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison, months after she admitted to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from St. James Catholic School in Torrance . The Archdiocese appears to have now changed course-with ABC Newsreporting a criminal case may now be in the works following deepening investigations. Ultimately, he argues, the schools consider the teachers to be performing an important religious function, and therefore, they can be fired for any reason because they are not subject to the nation's fair employment laws. 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. 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. You can be proud of that, he said. If these teachers are exempt, he adds, then millions of employees are automatically exempt from laws enacted by Congress to protect workers, simply because they perform some duty their employer considers religious. 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. James Convent instead of St. Kreuper as the school's principal, handled all tuition payments, with the sister depositing checks into a separate . The church body in the case commissions teachers as ministers, but does not ordain them. Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana were both Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. In these records you will find the most recent and the most authoritative articles on the topics, people and events that are shaping the . Chief Justice John Roberts announced the opinion from the bench, noting that the teacher who brought the case was not a lay teacher. 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, Meyers wrote in a letter to parents on Nov. 28. Image Via Scott Varley/Digital First Media/ Torrance Daily Breeze via Getty Images. We use cookies to better understand website visitors, for advertising, and to offer you a better experience. Kristen Biel would return to teaching elsewhere while fighting her case in court, but in June 2019, she died. zergnet.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? Kreuper was in charge of the schools credit union account, where she was meant to deposit cash and checks from tuition, fees and donations. We've received your submission. })(); Adriana Kuch attackers identified on social media in planned attack, St Louis execution shooting of homeless man: arrest made, Karen calls cops on black men shovelling snow for free outsider her home, Idaho murder suspect had multiple photos of female victim on phone, Torrance Catholic school nuns steal $500K for gambling habit- church resists charges. All they needed to do was get through the school year. Kreuper, he said, quoting an expert, was addicted to gambling, adding that it "is not an excuse for what she did merely an explanation". The vow leads a nun to imitate Jesus, who for our sake became poor, although he was rich. 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. She betrayed the trust of people in the community, the parents, students, the archdiocese and the sisters. His . This is because, as part of the plea deal, the prosecutors have agreed to recommend to the court an "offense level" of 25 for Kreuper's crimes, and will further advise the court to reduce that to 23, or even 22. This article was published more than1 year ago. James School.. znscr.parentNode.insertBefore(zergnet, znscr); Eric Rassbach of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, who is representing the schools before the court, disagrees. The first teacher, Agnes Morrissey-Berru, claimed her employment contract was not renewed after 16 years service because of illegal age discrimination. The sisters later confessed to using the funds for themselves. 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. 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.. This was a manifestation of greed, Kumar said, adding that the nun had abused the trust of the community. But as the archdiocese was completing its audit, it noticed something was off with the funding. 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. (RELATED: Nuns Allegedly Stole Catholic School Funds For Years: Report). According to prosecutors, Kreuper had stolen whats estimated to have been the tuition for 14 students at the K-8 school in funds that were intended to further the students education, not fund [Kreupers] lifestyle., When confronted, the defendant admitted to stealing the money, Kumar said. Her embezzlement activities took place from about 2008-2018. All rights reserved. Advice for the relationships in your life and how to boost your own well-being. Earlier in June, the former principal of St. James School was charged with wire fraud and money laundering. We do know they had a pattern of going to casinos, and the reality is, they used the account as their personal account, an attorney told parents and alumni at Mondays meeting. She doesn't have any money. The pair confessed to using the funds for gambling excursions to Las Vegas and other spending sprees. 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. Each of the counts carries a maximum sentence of 40 years behind bars. The school soon had a change of heart following pushback. Investigators determined the money went to accounts the school didnt know about, Kumar said. Her attorney said Kreuper will be on supervised release for two years once her prison sentence is complete. 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. Maryland man, 52, sues bar over ban cause he was old Missouri daughter secretly donates kidney to ailing dad. They and their Order pray that you have not lost trust or faith in the educators and administrators of the school. But somewhere along the line, you just ran completely off the road, and I think you understand that. krystal bailey musician, violence in macbeth quotes, lamont paris wife picture, Big Tech does its best to limit what news you see sentenced to. 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