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. 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. At the heart of this dispute is the First Amendment ban on government establishment of religion and the separation of church and state. Officials made the discovery in June after performing a routine audit following Kreupers retirement. The first teacher, Agnes Morrissey-Berru, claimed her employment contract was not renewed after 16 years service because of illegal age discrimination. James School.. Kreuper, he said, quoting an expert, was addicted to gambling, adding that it "is not an excuse for what she did merely an explanation". German cardinal offers to resign over sexual abuse catastrophe, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. A spokesperson with St. James did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Kreuper took fellow nuns on some of those trips and spent thousands of the primary school's money. Instead of sitting in the Supreme Court chamber, though, Biel, like the rest of us, will be at home listening. The embezzlement helped to fuel her gambling habit. 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. 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. As outlined in her plea agreement, beginning in 2008, Kreuper began depositing tuition checks and donations into the school's account and then diverted the money into the covenant account. The 80-year-old nun pleaded for mercy after stealing $835,339 from an elementary Catholic school to fund her gambling addiction.. She must give up the right to control or benefit from personal property and commits herself to live interdependently within a community. 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After much public outcry to pursue legal action, the archdiocese hired a former FBI agent to investigate the two nuns. We do know that they had a pattern of going on trips. Mary Margaret Kreuper was so close to getting away with it. The auditor found that tuition checks, fees and donations were being deposited into a bank account not used by the school. "Requiring a church to accept or retain an unwanted minister or punishing a church for failing to do so intrudes upon more than a mere employment decision," Roberts said. We use cookies to better understand website visitors, for advertising, and to offer you a better experience. (RNS) Recently Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, a Catholic nun who stole $835,000 from a Catholic elementary school in Torrance, California, was sent to prison for a year and ordered to pay the . For years, St. James parents were told that the school was cash-strapped and unable to upgrade textbooks that were 20 years old, fund field trips or simply install an awning for the outdoor lunch area. Eric Rassbach of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, who is representing the schools before the court, disagrees. In June 2021, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admitted to embezzling $835,000 from the Catholic school where she served as principal for 28 years. Meyers reported it to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, who hired their own auditor. The fraud was discovered after an internal investigation at the end of the same year. It wasnt until the house of cards came crashing down that she realized what she had done and started to go therapy, where she realized this addiction was a contributing factor. He added, Its not meant as an excuse. Officials pointed out that Kreuper had taken a vow of poverty as a nun. 66 is still a fairly competent age. 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. In these records you will find the most recent and the most authoritative articles on the topics, people and events that are shaping the . She is looking forward to getting on with life and will get treatment for her gambling addiction, he said. Her attorney said Kreuper will be on supervised release for two years once her prison sentence is complete. 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. On Monday night, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles told parents and alumni at a meeting that Sisters Mary Margaret Kreuper and Lana Chang, described as best friends, took around $500,000 from St . Kreuper pleaded guilty last July. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com. We use cookies to better understand website visitors, for advertising, and to offer you a better experience. The schools denied that Morrissey-Berru and Biel were fired for discriminatory reasons. A NUN is set to plead guilty to embezzling more than $830,000 from the Catholic elementary school she ran to bankroll her gambling habit, prosecutors say. He said he could not bring himself to judge Kreuper solely on "the worst thing that she's done in her life", the LA Times said. 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. Thanks for contacting us. She also controlled two savings accounts, one for the school and one for the nuns living expenses. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admits to stealing over $835k from a Catholic School. Kreuper originally pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering back in 2021. 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.. Sister Lana Chang, a vice principal who was initially implicated in the scheme, was not charged. Sister Mary is not full of grace. G7 summit - Biden brings 1.2m Cadillac The Beast but will it fit down Cornwalls tiny country lanes. By Colin Groundwater June 9, 2021 Two summers ago, Sean Flynn reported a wild story for GQ about two very. I wanted them to see me," he says "and I just pray that the justices see the right way.". In December of that year, fraud allegations emerged against her and another nun, Sister Lana Chang, who had taught at the school. This article was published more than1 year ago. 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 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. The two holy women were eventually caught out after a recent audit. Nun who stole $835K from school to fund gambling habit is going to prison: I have sinned, Carolyn Hax: Boyfriends visits leave single mom with no time for herself, Miss Manners: What to do when a fellow diner was rude to server. An elderly nun who pleaded guilty to embezzling from a Catholic school to fund her own gambling trips has been sentenced to a year in federal prison. The scheme was uncovered during an audit after Kreuper retired in 2018. Police will still present the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office, NBC reported. Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana were both Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. Those reports were accurate, and we are issuing a rating of "True.". Kreuper stole the funds over the course of ten years, ending in 2018. Well, Sister Mary Margaret didnt quite stay true to her vow. When first confronted, Mr Kumar said, the nun claimed she "did it in part because she believes priests get paid better than nuns". 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. Sister Mary Margaret was caught in 2018. In a statement to The Washington Post, Kreupers lawyers said she is very remorseful and sorry for any harm she has caused. 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. "She's 80. Kreuper as the school's principal, handled all tuition payments, with the sister depositing checks into a separate . Rassbach will tell the Supreme Court that not everyone who works at a religious school or institution is exempt from these laws. 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. 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. She really didnt stay true to it at all, actually. She faces up to 40 years in federal prison, but is claiming mental illness. Jon Jones Reacts To Islam Makhachev Declaring Himself The Best Fighter In The World, Shavkat Rakhmonov Reacts To ESPN/UFC Commentator Laura Sanko Thirsting Over Him In Viral Video, Jon Jones First Shirtless Pic At Heavyweight Before UFC 285 Goes Viral, Ja Morants Lawyer, Agent Threaten Legal Recourse For Defamatory Report From The Washington Post, Another Glitch In The Matrix Has Occurred As A Bird Is Filmed Motionless In Mid-Air, Bengals Exec Sends Harsh Wake-Up Call To Teams Sniffing Around Tee Higgins. Pic: St James Catholic School. She would endorse the checks with a stamp saying St. Along with her sentence, she was ordered to pay $825,338 in restitution. 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. znscr.parentNode.insertBefore(zergnet, znscr); In June 2021, Mary Margaret Kreuper, a Catholic nun in the Los Angeles congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, entered into a plea agreement with the U.S. District Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, whereby she committed to pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering, and admitted taking part in a 10-year scheme to defraud St. James' Catholic School, an elementary school in Torrance, California, where she had served as principal for 28 years, to the amount of $835,000. Months after Kreuper admitted to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars, the 80-year-old was sentenced on Monday to a year and a day in federal prison. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, a former principal at St James Catholic School in Torrance, California, used tuition fees and donations to subsidize casino gambling expenses and credit card. Also implicated in the scheme was Lana Chang, who worked as a teacher at St. James before becoming vice principal. The schools, "have never asserted that either of [the teachers] fell short in any religious duty or adherence to the faith," he says. "You don't want the government deciding who teaches religion we don't do that in this country that's why we have an establishment clause," says Rassbach. The rich uncle was the parents of the St. James students.. Officials said 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.. But the court's eventual decision could reach beyond teachers, affecting the lives of millions of other employees who work for religiously affiliated institutions. The Torrancepair used the money for vacations and gambling at the casino while telling parents that the school was on a tight budget. 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.". Mark Byrne, Kreupers attorney, told The Post his client had accepted the judges one-year prison sentence, even if they were pushing for probation. 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, Marge Graf, an attorney representing St. James, told a group of parents at a meeting in 2018. BroBible is the #1 place on the internet for the very best content from the worlds of sports, culture, gear, high tech, and more. 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). St.James Catholic School caught embezzling $500K for personal use, including gambling as church declines to press charges. All rights reserved. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, of Los Angeles, was sentenced Monday to one year and one day for fraud and money laundering charges. 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. 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. We've received your submission. Sister Mary Margarets lawyers said that she is very remorseful, and has been suffering from a mental illness that clouded her judgement and caused her to do something that she otherwise would not have done.. Michael Meyers, the pastor at St. James Church. 2023 Blaze Media LLC. In her plea agreement, Sister Mary Margaret confirmed that the stolen money was used for credit card charges and large gambling expenses incurred at casinos. the U.S. attorneys office said. The principal allegedly withheld some of the checks and deposited them into the other account, endorsing the back with a stamp that read, St. Kreuper was principal at the school for 28 years. 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, 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. I, for one, absolutely love this move. Monday's case, however, does not involve trained and ordained ministers of the faith. Kreuper belongs to the order of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. Mary Margaret Kreuper was so close to getting away with it. It's just that you have to look and see what kind of function are they doing.". She betrayed the trust of people in the community, the parents, students, the archdiocese and the sisters. "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. 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. 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. 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. A federal appeals court ruled against the schools, which appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Southern California authorities have revealed two nuns allegedly embezzling up to $500K which was parlayed into gambling jaunts in Las Vegas. One article quoted a church accountant as ball-parking the amount at $500,000. Five of the nine justices hearing Monday's case attended Catholic secondary schools, and several of them have sent their children to parochial schools as well. Chief Justice John Roberts announced the opinion from the bench, noting that the teacher who brought the case was not a lay teacher. Prosecutors had recommended a 24-month prison sentence, three years of . In the process, Kreuper falsified monthly and annual reports to the St. James 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, according to court documents. On. Starting in 2008, Kreuper diverted school funds to pay for expenses that the order would not have approved, much less paid for, prosecutors say. The Daily Caller | 1775 Eye Street NW | Suite 1150-290 | Washington, DC 20006. 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 . 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. Claiming mental illness at her age is a play for probation or the ability to serve her sentence at home. var zergnet = document.createElement('script'); Sister Kreuper who took a vow of poverty confessed to using the embezzled funds to pay for personal expenses, including her gambling habit. 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.. 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. The St. James Catholic Church school in Torrance, California, on February 7, 2022. 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.. Prosecutors said that she had also instructed school employees to alter and destroy financial records. zergnet.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? As headteacher at St James Catholic School, which she ran for 28 years, she "controlled accounts at a credit union, including a savings account for the school and one established to pay the living expenses of the nuns employed by the school", prosecutors said. The two announced their retirement at the same time and were on their way out in 2018. 15 Episodes of Seinfeld That Teach Everything You Need To Know About Life. 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. Though he acknowledges that the teachers taught religion from a workbook about three hours a week, Fisher says these teachers were "primarily lay employees" teaching "secular subjects. 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. 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.". A now-retired nun has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $800,000 from the St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California, from 2008 to 2018, the last decade of her 28-year tenure as principal of the institution.Sister Kreuper who took a vow of poverty confessed to using the . 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. She just enjoyed gambling, he said. The account was opened in 1997 but had not been used in years, until Sister Mary Margaret started diverting checks into the forgotten account. I have sinned, I have broken the law and I have no excuses, Kreuper told the judge during her hearing, according to the Los Angeles Times. 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. Apparently, the Vegas trips were common knowledge, but the nuns explained that the gambling excursions were gifts from a rich uncle. The school soon had a change of heart following pushback. But Fisher notes that the schools in these cases do not claim any religious reason for firing the teachers. Investigators determined the money went to accounts the school didnt know about, Kumar said. Kreuper admitted embezzling about $835,000 (616,000) in donations, tuition and fee money between 2008 and 2018. 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. One parent told the outlet of the situation: "It's crazy. During the time period this was happening, she had no idea this was happening. American sister stole money from accounts she controlled as a headteacher and used it to pay off credit card charges and "large gambling expenses incurred at casinos". This large chunk of stolen money came as the St. James Catholic School was operating under tight budgets with small concerns that the finances could not continue to keep the door open. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper had taken a vow of poverty. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper had taken a vow of poverty. 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. 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. Her embezzlement activities took place from about 2008-2018. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang were seen as two of the strictest nuns at St James Catholic School in Torrance, California. Her husband, Darryl Biel, remembers that day vividly. By that math, Sister Mary Margaret was only 66 when the behavior began. 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. For the second time in as many weeks, the U.S. Supreme Court is tackling a major religion case. They say she also instructed employees at the school to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit, investigators found. Kristen Biel would return to teaching elsewhere while fighting her case in court, but in June 2019, she died. A Los Angeles nun jailed for stealing more than $800,000 to fund a gambling habit has admitted "I have sinned". She claimed that she was fired after she told her superior, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. "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. Similar articles were published by the Los Angeles Times, KTLA, and Unilad.co.uk. She then used some of the funds to pay for "large gambling expenses incurred at casinos and certain credit card charges.. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, was sentenced on Monday to 12 months and one day in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II and ordered to pay $825,338 in restitution to the St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California . The scheme was uncovered during an audit after Kreuper retired in 2018. But as the archdiocese was completing its audit, it noticed something was off with the funding. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. At least I hope you do.. 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. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, was charged Tuesday with wire fraud and money laundering for ripping off St. James Catholic School for a period of 10 years ending in September 2018, according to . Kreuper also admitted to falsifying monthly and annual reports to the school administration in an effort to cover up the embezzlement. When she announced she was retiring in September 2018, the archdiocese conducted a financial review for the incoming principal. })(); 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. His . She admitted to taking a total of $835,000 in donations from the elementary school, and faces up to 40 years in federal prison. 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. "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. He argued that while the money she stole might have affected the schools funding, her actions didnt decrease the quality of education students received at St. James. Ultimately, "they are not people we understand to be spiritual leaders of the church.". The Los Angeles native embezzled more than $835,000 from the Catholic school in Torrance, Calif., where she was principal to pay for 10 years of personal expenses, including her many gambling trips to Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe, according to federal prosecutors. 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