sister mary margaret kreupersister mary margaret kreuper

The tuition checks and funds sent to St. James Catholic School between 2008 and 2018 that were stolen by Kreuper equaled the tuition of 14 different students per year, prosecutors said. His . One parent told the outlet of the situation: "It's crazy. A Los Angeles nun recently pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $800,000. "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.". For the second time in as many weeks, the U.S. Supreme Court is tackling a major religion case. Also implicated in the scheme was Lana Chang, who worked as a teacher at St. James before becoming vice principal. Kreuper retired as principal of St. James' Catholic School in 2018, after holding that position for 28 years. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. Sister Mary Margaret was caught in 2018. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet confirm that today the judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California in Los Angeles has sentenced our Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, CSJ to one year and one day in federal prison followed by two years' supervised release. Kreuper was principal at the school for 28 years. 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, the judge said, according to the Los Angeles Times. 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Kreuper became principal at St. James Catholic School in 1990, a position she held for 28 years until her retirement in September 2018. I have sinned, Ive broken the law and I have no excuses, Kreuper said at the sentencing over Zoom. 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79,of Los Angeles, was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering, She defrauded St. James Catholic Schoolover a period of 10 years, 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, Also implicated in the scheme was Lana Chang, who worked as a teacher at St. James before becoming vice principal, Nun, 79, STOLE $835,000 from Catholic school over 10 years to fund her gambling trips, Teenage boy shot friend, 15, in face with his grandad's shotgun after 'being repeatedly humiliated and bullied by him', Apple pie could be CANCELED after writer links treat to genocide and cultural appropriation, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have 'done nothing but seek publicity' since leaving UK, former Palace aide claims, Woman, 21, records terrifying moment Uber driver relentlessly pesters her for sex despite her telling him 'no', Inside Bidens 30million G7 ring of steel with warships, The Beast & 400 Secret Service agents watching his every move, Murder probe scuppered after alligator makes off with dead body found floating in river, JBSA Lackland put on lockdown after shooting outside Air Force base in San Antonio. 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. 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. But, Fisher counters, that "this isn't something you measure with a stopwatch." Kristen Biel would return to teaching elsewhere while fighting her case in court, but in June 2019, she died. This material may not be reproduced without permission. Dan Mac Guill is a former writer for Snopes. But. Your membership is the foundation of our sustainability and resilience. Michael Meyers, the pastor at St. James Church. 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 the audio, as well as in a previous Web version, of this story, we incorrectly say the fourth-grade teacher in a 2012 case was ordained as a minister. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admits to stealing over $835k from a Catholic School. "She's 80. 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 Privacy Policy. 15 Episodes of Seinfeld That Teach Everything You Need To Know About Life. All rights reserved. The now-retired nun (I didnt know nuns could retire) admitted to stealing about $835,000 in donations, tuition and fees. 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). The Torrance Police Department, the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation into the allegations against Kreuper. Kreuper did not recognize she had a gambling problem until she was accused of embezzling more than $835,000 from the school, Byrne said. 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. The account was opened in 1997 but had not been used in years, until Sister Mary Margaret started diverting checks into the forgotten account. zergnet.type = 'text/javascript'; zergnet.async = true; 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. 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. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper A curated collection of links The Record What are records? The Torrancepair used the money for vacations and gambling at the casino while telling parents that the school was on a tight budget. 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. "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. She betrayed the trust of people in the community, the parents, students, the archdiocese and the sisters. He had planned to be in Washington for Monday's argument. 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. 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. Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana were both Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. Despite the ongoing thefts, financial statements revealed the church continuing to operate in the black as the two sisters clandestinely plowed through church funds. 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. 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. 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 is expected to report to prison by June, Byrne said, and will be released in 2023. The embezzlement helped to fuel her gambling habit. They added that "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.. 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. At the sentencing hearing, those who spoke were split on their feelings toward the nun and what she had done. 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. ", "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. After taking a vow of poverty, her excuse for lavish gambling expenses is hilarious. 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.". I promised her I would see this through," he says. "https:" : "http:") + '//www.zergnet.com/zerg.js?id=47402'; The fraud was discovered after an internal investigation at the end of the same year. Its an explanation.. Her husband, Darryl Biel, remembers that day vividly. The purpose is to protect leaders of the faith, and their religions, from interference by the government. "The Gambling Nuns" saga is unlikely to come up at the Supreme Court, but it certainly is on Darryl Biel's mind. 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, according to a release from the U.S. attorneys office for the Central District of California. These nuns took a vow of poverty and said, Oh no, weve got a rich uncle, parent Jack Alexander said. Kreuper originally pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering back in 2021. The auditor found that tuition checks, fees and donations were being deposited into a bank account not used by the school. Mark Byrne, Kreupers attorney, told The Post his client had accepted the judges one-year prison sentence, even if they were pushing for probation. Sister Mary Margaret became a nun when she turned 18 in 1960 and took a vow of poverty. 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 . When staff members finally found the check, they realized that it was not deposited in a St. James account, but a different bank account. Kreuper admitted embezzling about $835,000 (616,000) in donations, tuition and fee money between 2008 and 2018. Kreuper stole the funds over the course of ten years, ending in 2018. 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. She is set to be arraigned in court on July 1. 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. 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 . The second suit was brought by Kristen Biel against St. James School in Torrance. Kreuper, who took vows of poverty at age 18 and spent 59 years in the religious order, said in her plea agreement that she had begun diverting money from the schools tuition and donation account to a savings account that funded the living expenses of the nuns who worked at the school and then used some of the money herself. Faces up to 40 years in federal prison a curated collection of links Record. 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