Earlier in June, the former principal of St. James School was charged with wire fraud and money laundering. We do know that they had a pattern of going on trips. 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. The rich uncle was the parents of the St. James students.. She would endorse the checks with a stamp saying St. A spokesperson with St. James did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. But how do we define who is a minister and who is not? 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. Well, Sister Mary Margaret didnt quite stay true to her vow. 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 . 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 in the clear. 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. When first confronted by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper blamed the gender pay gap and said she deserved a raise because "priests get paid better than nuns". The now-retired nun (I didnt know nuns could retire) admitted to stealing about $835,000 in donations, tuition and fees. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com. 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 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. I don't drink coffee, I wake up jacked. 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. On June 9, for example, Fox News reported that: A retired Los Angeles nun will plead guilty to embezzling $835,000 from the elementary school where she worked in order to cover her gambling habits and other personal expenses, officials said this week. That was the first clue that unraveled a significant scheme. Make sure you see our stories daily directly to your inbox. The vow leads a nun to imitate Jesus, who for our sake became poor, although he was rich. According to Newstalk.com, the school indicated in a letter to parents at the time that they did not want to pursue criminal charges against the duo, after they both expressed "desire and inten[t] to make complete restitution to St. James School.". Starting in 2008, Kreuper diverted school funds to pay for expenses that the order would not have approved, much less paid for, prosecutors say. There is another, and rather rich, twist to one of the cases before the court Monday. Similar articles were published by the Los Angeles Times, KTLA, and Unilad.co.uk. Its an explanation.. Each time, Kreuper had the same response to the community, according to the Times: How do you expect to pay for it? All the while, Kreuper spoke openly about her gambling trips, saying her vice principals wealthy relatives funded the casino excursions to Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe, prosecutors say. G7 summit - Biden brings 1.2m Cadillac The Beast but will it fit down Cornwalls tiny country lanes. One article quoted a church accountant as ball-parking the amount at $500,000. But somewhere along the line, you just ran completely off the road, and I think you understand that. For the second time in as many weeks, the U.S. Supreme Court is tackling a major religion case. 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.. These nuns took a vow of poverty and said, oh no, weve got a rich uncle, one parent told the Press-Telegram. 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. 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.. 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. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper had taken a vow of poverty. The two announced their retirement at the same time and were on their way out in 2018. Instead of sitting in the Supreme Court chamber, though, Biel, like the rest of us, will be at home listening. 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 schools denied that Morrissey-Berru and Biel were fired for discriminatory reasons. 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. Police will still present the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office, NBC reported. The Archdiocese appears to have now changed course-with ABC Newsreporting a criminal case may now be in the works following deepening investigations. As principal of St. James Catholic School, she oversaw the money the school received to pay for tuition and fees as well as charitable donations. Image Via Scott Varley/Digital First Media/ Torrance Daily Breeze via Getty Images. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper used tuition fees and donations to a California Catholic school to subsidize her casino expenses. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, of Los Angeles, was sentenced Monday to one year and one day for fraud and money laundering charges. I promised her I would see this through," he says. Kreuper signed the plea agreement, which Snopes has obtained and which can be read in full here, on June 2, 2021. 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. When staff members finally found the check, they realized that it was not deposited in a St. James account, but a different bank account. It's very disturbing. 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. Pic: St James Catholic School. Each of the counts carries a maximum sentence of 40 years behind bars. "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. It involves two fifth-grade teachers at Catholic schools in California. zergnet.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? I wanted to see them. 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. At least I hope you do.. 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. The nuns order says the woman are cooperating and intend to pay all of the money back in full. Instead, the school's principal, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, was stealing the money and using it to bankroll her gambling habit, federal prosecutors said, violating her vow of poverty. Michael Meyers, the pastor at St. James Church. You can be proud of that, he said. Kreuper retired as principal of St. James' Catholic School in 2018, after holding that position for 28 years. The Greatest Food Debates Of All Time, Answered Pineapple On Pizza? Prosecutors had recommended a 24-month prison sentence, three years of . Mark Byrne, Kreupers attorney, told The Post his client had accepted the judges one-year prison sentence, even if they were pushing for probation. At the heart of this dispute is the First Amendment ban on government establishment of religion and the separation of church and state. During the time period this was happening, she had no idea this was happening. In a statement to The Washington Post, Kreupers lawyers said she is very remorseful and sorry for any harm she has caused. Copyright 2008-2023 BroBible. Jaclyn Peiser contributed to this report. var zergnet = document.createElement('script'); He had planned to be in Washington for Monday's argument. On. "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 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.. The Torrancepair used the money for vacations and gambling at the casino while telling parents that the school was on a tight budget. The school soon had a change of heart following pushback. 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. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admits to stealing over $835k from a Catholic School. 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. The scheme was uncovered during an audit after Kreuper retired in 2018. 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. After taking a vow of poverty, her excuse for lavish gambling expenses is hilarious. 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's 80. Although, formally speaking, Kreuper could face a punishment of up to 40 years in prison, it's unlikely she will receive such a long sentence. Thanks for contacting us. Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana were both Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. 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. 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. 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.. Investigators described a system in which Kreuper handled all checks made out to the school for tuition and fees before handing them over to bookkeeping staff for processing. 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. Kreuper was principal at the school for 28 years. Along with her sentence, she was ordered to pay $825,338 in restitution. 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. 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. 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. Her embezzlement activities took place from about 2008-2018. 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. 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. Mary Margaret Kreuper was so close to getting away with it. All they needed to do was get through the school year. 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. 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 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 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. (deployads = window.deployads || []).push({}); (function() { 2022 Blaze Media LLC. 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. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. "I have sinned," Sister Mary told a US . 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. Kreuper is due in court on 1 July and faces up to 40 years in federal prison. James School, before tapping the funds for personal use. Sister Mary Margaret was caught in 2018. ", "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. 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.. 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.. 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 . 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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. At the sentencing hearing, those who spoke were split on their feelings toward the nun and what she had done. Shes very, very remorseful and very ashamed, he said. By that math, Sister Mary Margaret was only 66 when the behavior began. For decades, lower courts have recognized an exception to the nation's employment laws for ministers. She faces up to 40 years in federal prison, but is claiming mental illness. 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. 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.. She betrayed the trust of people in the community, the parents, students, the archdiocese and the sisters. The DOJ noted that Kreuper had diverted the school funds to pay for expenses that the order [of nuns] would not have approved. Among the expenses Kreuper accrued were those from casinos and credit card charges. While claiming to live financially destitute like Jesus Christ is probably blasphemous, using the old Im poor, but my uncle is rich line and getting away with it speaks to Sister Mary Margarets impressive poker face. 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 A curated collection of links The Record What are records? Her attorney said Kreuper will be on supervised release for two years once her prison sentence is complete. 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. We use cookies to better understand website visitors, for advertising, and to offer you a better experience. 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. 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 money she stole was used to pay off credit card charges and "large gambling expenses incurred at casinos", the US attorney's office said. 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". St.James Catholic School caught embezzling $500K for personal use, including gambling as church declines to press charges. 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. His . As a Catholic nun, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper had taken a vow of poverty. Associate Editor at BroBible covering all five major sports and every niche sport imaginable, found primarily in the college space. The auditor found that tuition checks, fees and donations were being deposited into a bank account not used by the school. 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. 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. These nuns took a vow of poverty and said, Oh no, weve got a rich uncle, parent Jack Alexander 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. They dont want you to see this Big Tech does its best to limit what news you see. 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.. After much public outcry to pursue legal action, the archdiocese hired a former FBI agent to investigate the two nuns. James Convent instead of St. Kreuper belongs to the order of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. Kreuper falsified monthly and annual reports to cover up her crime and asked school employees to alter and destroy financial records during an audit. 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. Her husband, Darryl Biel, remembers that day vividly. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang were seen as two of the strictest nuns at St James Catholic School in Torrance, California. Dan Mac Guill is a former writer for Snopes. 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. Sister Mary is not full of grace. Get the news that matters most delivered directly to your inbox. Kreuper also admitted to falsifying monthly and annual reports to the school administration in an effort to cover up the embezzlement. The Daily Caller | 1775 Eye Street NW | Suite 1150-290 | Washington, DC 20006. "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. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, who was principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California, used the school funds to . 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. Kumar said the nuns instruction to the auditors sparked suspicion, and they reported the incident to Msgr. The second suit was brought by Kristen Biel against St. James School in Torrance. 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. In December of that year, fraud allegations emerged against her and another nun, Sister Lana Chang, who had taught at the school. I wanted them to see me," he says "and I just pray that the justices see the right way.". "I wanted to face them. She spent the next 59 years of her life dedicated to the church, they said. When the fraudulent behavior first came to light, the order was deeply disappointed and offered to repay the lost funds only believed to be $500,000 at the time. 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 .
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