Sister Mary is not full of grace. Officials pointed out that Kreuper had taken a vow of poverty as a nun. 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. "https:" : "http:") + '//www.zergnet.com/zerg.js?id=47402'; She wanted more than she had.. One parent told the outlet of the situation: "It's crazy. In these records you will find the most recent and the most authoritative articles on the topics, people and events that are shaping the . The two holy women were eventually caught out after a recent audit. 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. It's just that you have to look and see what kind of function are they doing.". This was a manifestation of greed, Kumar said, adding that the nun had abused the trust of the community. 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. (RELATED: Nuns Allegedly Stole Catholic School Funds For Years: Report). 2023 Blaze Media LLC. The embezzlement helped to fuel her gambling habit. 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.". })(); 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. 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. 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. Pic: St James Catholic 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." 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". However, the church chose not to press charges against the two nuns. ", "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. Your membership is the foundation of our sustainability and resilience. But somewhere along the line, you just ran completely off the road, and I think you understand that. A federal appeals court ruled against the schools, which appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. She must give up the right to control or benefit from personal property and commits herself to live interdependently within a community. 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. They dont want you to see this Big Tech does its best to limit what news you see. 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. Kreuper did not recognize she had a gambling problem until she was accused of embezzling more than $835,000 from the school, Byrne said. 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. 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. "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. 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.". Shes very, very remorseful and very ashamed, he said. Get the news that matters most delivered directly to your inbox. 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. St. James teacher Lana Chang admitted along with Kreuper to the embezzlement in 2018, following each of their retirements earlier that year. For the second time in as many weeks, the U.S. Supreme Court is tackling a major religion case. 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. She would endorse the checks with a stamp saying St. When this was going on, she was not nearly as old. The archdiocese of Los Angeles said in statement that the community of faith at St James was shocked and saddened by these actions and expressed gratitude to local and federal law enforcement agencies for their work in the investigation of this matter. Her husband said that in her final days, the couple talked extensively about the case. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com. But Fisher notes that the schools in these cases do not claim any religious reason for firing the teachers. var znscr = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; 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. His wife, he said, drove into their driveway "in tears bawling hysterically. 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. The schools, "have never asserted that either of [the teachers] fell short in any religious duty or adherence to the faith," he says. 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.. Image Via Scott Varley/Digital First Media/ Torrance Daily Breeze via Getty Images. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, admitted stealing the money from St James Catholic School in the L.A. suburb of Torrance, where she was school principal for nearly 30 years. 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. At least, thats where they caught her. These nuns took a vow of poverty and said, Oh no, weve got a rich uncle, parent Jack Alexander said. I don't drink coffee, I wake up jacked. Earlier in June, the former principal of St. James School was charged with wire fraud and money laundering. At the sentencing hearing, those who spoke were split on their feelings toward the nun and what she had done. She faces up to 40 years in federal prison, but is claiming mental illness. In a statement to The Washington Post, Kreupers lawyers said she is very remorseful and sorry for any harm she has caused. The auditor found that tuition checks, fees and donations were being deposited into a bank account not used by the school. 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. 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. Dan Mac Guill is a former writer for Snopes. 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. 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. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, was sentenced to a year in prison and ordered to pay $825,338 in restitution. Kreuper was principal at the school for 28 years. Mary Margaret Kreuper (Image source: KTTV-TV video screenshot). "She doesn't have anywhere to go," he said. The judge settled on a prison sentence of one year and a day and also ordered Kreuper to pay back the money she had stolen from the school. 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.. These nuns took a vow of poverty and said, oh no, weve got a rich uncle, one parent told the Press-Telegram. 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. 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. 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. 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. Chief Justice John Roberts announced the opinion from the bench, noting that the teacher who brought the case was not a lay teacher. 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. zergnet.type = 'text/javascript'; zergnet.async = true; Were those functions to be considered ministerial, Fisher says, the results would be dire. An old unused bank account was the giveaway. She then used some of the funds to pay for "large gambling expenses incurred at casinos and certain credit card charges.. The 80-year-old nun pleaded for mercy after stealing $835,339 from an elementary Catholic school to fund her gambling addiction.. 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. Prosecutors had recommended a 24-month prison sentence, three years of . 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.. Kreuper stole the funds over the course of ten years, ending in 2018. He added, Its not meant as an excuse. Mary Margaret Kreuper was so close to getting away with it. 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). 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Her attorney said Kreuper will be on supervised release for two years once her prison sentence is complete. 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 . 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 was also entrusted with overseeing the St. James Covenant Account, a savings account that funded the living expenses of the nuns who worked at the school, the indictment against her states. For decades, lower courts have recognized an exception to the nation's employment laws for ministers. The exception extends to religiously affiliated institutions when they fire employees who serve in a religious capacity akin to that of a minister. Poonam Kumar, the assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California who prosecuted the case, told The Washington Post that Kreuper had diverted checks and cash from St. James parents into a long-overlooked church account to pay for large gambling expenses incurred at casinos and certain credit-card charges. The actions were done before the money could be accounted for, displaying repetitive and deceptive behavior, over and over again, the prosecutor said. 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. Kreuper pleaded guilty last July. The 80-year-old nun also was ordered to pay a total of. His findings unraveled the entire scheme and, eventually, federal charges were levied against Sister Mary Margaret. 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. The school soon had a change of heart following pushback. Prosecutors said that she had also instructed school employees to alter and destroy financial records. But, Fisher counters, that "this isn't something you measure with a stopwatch." 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.. The purpose is to protect leaders of the faith, and their religions, from interference by the government. She admitted to taking a total of $835,000 in donations from the elementary school, and faces up to 40 years in federal prison. 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. The schools denied that Morrissey-Berru and Biel were fired for discriminatory reasons. 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. She doesn't have any money. 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". But as the archdiocese was completing its audit, it noticed something was off with the funding. She spent the next 59 years of her life dedicated to the church, they said. 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. Asking for the nun to be spared from prison, her lawyer Mark Byrne told the court she has been kept under "severe restrictions" at a convent by the nuns in her order. There is another, and rather rich, twist to one of the cases before the court Monday. When Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper was 18 years old, she vowed to dedicate her life to the education of children and helping those in need. Kobe Bryant's widow awarded nearly $29m after police shared photos of helicopter crash, Doctors recommend end-of-life decision for Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore, Ramon Escobar: Serial murderer suspected of killing prison inmate. She is expected to report to prison by June, Byrne said, and will be released in 2023. 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. 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. "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. Kreuper is due in court on 1 July and faces up to 40 years in federal prison. Let us pray for our school families and for Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana, the letter added. The Greatest Food Debates Of All Time, Answered Pineapple On Pizza? The Torrancepair used the money for vacations and gambling at the casino while telling parents that the school was on a tight budget. 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 first teacher, Agnes Morrissey-Berru, claimed her employment contract was not renewed after 16 years service because of illegal age discrimination. Mark Byrne, Kreupers attorney, told The Post his client had accepted the judges one-year prison sentence, even if they were pushing for probation. The church body in the case commissions teachers as ministers, but does not ordain them. var zergnet = document.createElement('script'); James School, before tapping the funds for personal use. I promised her I would see this through," he says. She became principal at St. James Catholic School, about 20 miles outside downtown Los Angeles, in 1990. A Los Angeles nun jailed for stealing more than $800,000 to fund a gambling habit has admitted "I have sinned". 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". 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. 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. 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 decade, the Press-Telegram reported. She betrayed the trust of people in the community, the parents, students, the archdiocese and the sisters. The vow leads a nun to imitate Jesus, who for our sake became poor, although he was rich. The two announced their retirement at the same time and were on their way out in 2018. "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. Her embezzlement activities took place from about 2008-2018. Yes, a Nun Has Admitted to Embezzling $835,000 from a Catholic School Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper has been charged with wire fraud and money laundering for her role in a scheme to defraud a. Sister Lana Chang, a vice principal who was initially implicated in the scheme, was not charged. zergnet.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? 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. Parents said the two nuns were big on moral. By Colin Groundwater June 9, 2021 Two summers ago, Sean Flynn reported a wild story for GQ about two very. Kreuper took fellow nuns on some of those trips and spent thousands of the primary school's money. The pair confessed to using the funds for gambling excursions to Las Vegas and other spending sprees. The now-retired nun (I didnt know nuns could retire) admitted to stealing about $835,000 in donations, tuition and fees. Maryland man, 52, sues bar over ban cause he was old Missouri daughter secretly donates kidney to ailing dad.
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