A great part of her early education came from her mother, who consulted the Spanish humanist Juan Luis Vives for advice and commissioned him to write De Institutione Feminae Christianae, a treatise on the . Chang was a teacher for 20 years before being promoted to vice principal. While other checks were being cashed properly and accounted for, the crooked nun deposited other checks in the secret bank accounts before they were even accounted for by staff. At least I hope you do.. Kreuper even took fellow nuns on some of those excursions and spent thousands of the elementary schools money, Kumar said. Archdiocese of Los Angeles officials said in a statement that school officials and others cooperated with the investigation. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admitted embezzling $835,000 from St James Catholic School in the LA suburb of Torrance. It was then that Kreuper started to get nervous and told two employees to destroy documents and directed them to not mention to the auditors that certain documents were missing. Most of the money came from school fundraisers; some came from a tuition hike. The two nuns. Concern over the schools finances started to increase as the Archdiocese of Los Angeles began to prepare for the change of leadership in 2018, the archdiocese said in a statement. Officials said the sisters were in charge of collecting checks and depositing them into the schools account. The offices of the U.S. attorney for the Central District of California revealed that she had used funds raised for the school for personal expenses as well as gambling. Kreuper is also accused of directing school employees to alter and destroy financial records while the audit was in process. And I don't look at nuns as ordinary people. "I apologize for the public scandal, the embarrassment and the financial burden that I have placed on the sisters in my religious community, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, St. James School, the parishioners, parents and students who placed their trust in me," she said. 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We've received your submission. Sister Lana taught there for 20 years. ", But a 12-year-old said Kreuper was "just like any other robber.". Mary was a precocious child. A subsequent financial review found that a substantial amount of school funds had been misappropriated for personal use by Sister Mary Margaret, with the Torrance Police Department expanding its investigation into the matter in December 2018. Kreuper, 79, could get sentenced to up to 40 years behind bars. Kumar added Kreupers scheme was revealed after the school performed an informal audit shortly after the nun announced she would be retiring as principal in 2018. After reading about the retired nun who stole over $800,000 to support her gambling habit, learn about the dead priest whose DNA could help solve a nuns decades-old murder. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. 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, her lawyers told The Guardian. CA: 2 Nuns Accused of Stealing Substantial Amount of Money From South Bay Catholic School. But officials from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles told parents and alumni of the school that auditors have not been able to trace all of the money trail. Church officials said that both Kreuper and Chang confessed to taking the money, and expressed remorse, asking for forgiveness and prayers. We do know that they had a pattern of going on trips. It remains unclear which years specifically she embezzled funds from the school during her 28-year tenure there, though she did admit to doing so for over a decade. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper of Los Angeles will serve one year, and one day, behind federal prison bars for fraud and money laundering charges. Sister Mary Margaret retired in June after 28 years as principal of the K-8 school, which serves students from Torrance and Redondo Beach. Thanks for contacting us. People gamble in a casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in this illustrative image. She broke the law, she has no excuses for it and she took full responsibility.. The attorney said the nuns had spent the money on gambling trips and on vacations. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Oh boy, the flying nun really did it this time. A Los Angeles nun jailed for stealing more than $800,000 to fund a gambling habit has admitted "I have sinned". Eventually, a forensic accountant discovered that there was a half-million dollars missing from the schools accounts. She is scheduled to appear in the Federal District Court in Los Angeles on July 1. Looking back, though, wasnt it a little strange that Sister Mary Margaret was always organizing poker nights at the school for charity, and that she always made the final table? Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, who worked as the school principal for 28 years, and Sister Lana Chang, confessed to embezzling at least $500,000 from the Catholic school so that they could gamble . The fraud came to light after the accused, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang . Kreuper had retired as the school's principal earlier this year and she dealt with the school fees, which she allegedly withheld and deposited into an account only she and Chang knew about, the paper said. This was really an abuse of position of trust, right, Kumar said. The archdiocese and St. James Parish and School are grateful to local and federal law enforcement agencies for their work in the investigation of this matter. Sisters of St. Joseph of CarondeletSister Lana Chang worked alongside Sister Kreuper for 20 years, at least 10 of which they spent embezzling the schools money together. Kreuper's attorney Mark Byrne explained that his client, who retired in 2018, has been under strict supervision at her convent. "The Sisters of St. Joseph both desire and intend to make complete restitution to St. James School," the Daily Breeze reported. Sister Kreuper who took a vow of poverty confessed to using the embezzled funds to pay for personal expenses, including her gambling habit. Kumar said Kreuper was able to dodge detection for so many years because she would divert tuition checks and other funds to two old bank accounts that other school administrators were not aware were still being used. Besides, both the nuns in question were in positions of trust. Kreuper pleaded guilty in July to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. He was unhappy with the churchs decision not to prosecute. 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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. pic.twitter.com/Gcbn0WRky5, Karen Devine (@KarenDevineKESQ) December 11, 2018. 178.79.131.117 The first steps with free slots are easy, but once you are ready to switch to real . Play Slots for Real Money at Wild Casino Right Now! Ultimately Kreuper admitted to stealing over $835,000. Regardless, dont trust any nun who absolutely crushes Texas Holdem, and read Flynns original story here. Officials said that they carried out an internal audit as a matter of routine, since the school was about to get new leadership. But in fact, the sisters were only depositing some of the checks that came in. When an audit threatened to expose the scheme, Kreuper instructed St. James employees to destroy documents, according to prosecutors. There were parents who spoke today about how their kids are no longer affiliated with the church.. In a statement on Tuesday about Sister Mary Margarets guilty plea, the archdiocese said the revelations had shocked and saddened the community. She was the principal. After charges were filed, her attorneys issued a statement saying Sister Mary Margaret suffered "from mental illness that clouded her judgment and caused her to do something that she otherwise would not have done. "Our community is concerned and saddened by this situation and regret any injury to our long relationship with the families of the school," the Order said in a statement. Kreuper, who used funds to pay for trips to Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe and Temecula, says she will use the rest of her days trying to make amends. Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times/Getty ImagesSister Mary Kreuper served as the principal at St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California, for 28 years. Kreuper was the schools principal for 29 years. 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. Sisters Mary Margaret Kreuper and Lana Chang, the former a former principal at St. James Catholic School in Torrance, Los Angeles County, confessed to stealing $500,000 from the school to fund . Alexander said, These nuns took a vow of poverty and said, Oh, no, weve got a rich uncle, Alexander told the paper. Shawn graduated from Batesville High School in 1991 before attending Ball State University and receiving his BS from . We've received your submission. . She currently faces up to 40 years in federal prison with a court date set for July 1. What happened is wrong. A. The statement pledged that the order would work with the diocese to discover the full amount that had been taken from the school; they pledged to restore all of the money that was stolen. The diocese had initially called the police, but after the nuns confessed they said they wouldnt press charges against the nuns. At OUSC you will find the most trusted sites to play with cash and the best real money games. Some of them said they couldnt understand why the school had been operating on shoestring budget while Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana had been going on gambling sprees. She alone will face criminal charges. 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Jack Alexander of Redondo Beach said that the pair would often go traveling and gambling, claiming they had been given the money by a rich relative. The two Sisters are removed from their residence and placed in a religious house under the supervision of community leadership. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, who was principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California, used the school funds to . Kreuper claimed the school was always strapped for cash, then funneled donations into shell accounts that she and Chang would use to fund trips to Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Kreuper, who was the principal of the school for 28 years, agreed to plead guilty as part of a deal with prosecutors, the release said. https://t.co/fsUwStYj3J. The Essential Michelle Yeoh Viewing Guide, Donna Kelce Tells Us the Story Behind Her Half-Eagles, Half-Chiefs Jersey, Sex Lives: A Guy Who Draws the Line at Married Men. "This is merely an explanation.". Diverting embezzled funds into secret accounts, Kreuper used the money "to pay for expenses that the order would not have approved, much less paid for," including large gambling expenses and trips to Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe and Temecula, according to her plea agreement. Defense attorneys said Kreuper became a nun when she was 18 years old, and for the next 59 years "dedicated her life to helping others and educating children in Archdiocesan schools. Ad Choices, That Lying, Gambling, Embezzling Nun Pleads Guilty. CA: 2 Nuns Accused of Stealing Substantial Amount of Money From South Bay Catholic School.Principal, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, and teacher Sister Lana Chang.Substantial amount of school funds for their personal use.https://t.co/nIiuz3JiDR. The 80-year old nun was ordered to pay $825,338.57 she embezzled while principal at St.. Assistant US Attorney Poonam Kumar told The Post that the wayward nun took frequent gambling trips to Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, Temecula and other locations throughout Southern California. Monsignor Micheal Meyers, the pastor at St. James Catholic Church sent a letter to pupils' parents stating that Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, the nuns' order, is cooperating with the parish and the Archdiocese to find out how much money was taken. The rich uncle was the parents of the St. James students," he said. For Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, the rest of her mortal life will be decided in a few short weeks. Kreuper and Chang are both members of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. She'd taught fifth grade at Our Lady of Las Vegas . "I've used this to teach my son that we're all human, we all make mistakes, but the power of forgiveness is the most powerful tool that we have. 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,. We were an ATM, and people know it and they wont ask for justice, Jack Alexander, a father at the school, said. Most of the funds she blew on gambling trips to Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe with her friend and housemate, Sister Lana Chang. The rest, they were depositing into a separate account and using for their own purposes. She ran the institution on a shoestring while plundering an account containing tuition fees and charitable donations over a period of ten years. Let the family know you are thinking of them. In total, it is believed she stole $835,339 at least that authorities are currently aware of. Mary Kreuper served as the principal at St. James Catholic School, 2018 nuns had spent the money and. Eventually, a forensic accountant discovered that there was a teacher for years... 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