Sister Lana Chang worked alongside Sister Kreuper for 20 years, at least 10 of which they spent embezzling the schools money together. 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", But a 12-year-old said Kreuper was "just like any other robber.". However, Sister Kreuper wasnt alone in her scheme. Gambling Nun Who Embezzled $800,000+ of School Funds Gets Off Lightly With 366-Day Jail Sentence Judge Wright II sentenced Kreuper to one year and a day in a federal prison She must also pay $825,338.57 in restitution for the money she embezzled Kreuper admitted using the school funds to pay for "large gambling expenses" 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. At OUSC you will find the most trusted sites to play with cash and the best real money games. Parents have acknowledged that there were a number of red flags at St. James, but no one wants to assume the worst of nuns. The attorney said the nuns had spent the money on gambling trips and on vacations. Mary was a precocious child. Sister Mary Margaret worked at the school for 29 years. (Youtube/KCAL) Listen She diverted school funds into the St. James Convent Account and the St. James Savings Account, which were used "to pay for expenses that the order would not have approved, much less paid for, including large gambling expenses incurred at casinos and certain credit card charges," the Department of Justice stated. The two embezzling sisters are Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang. Their crimes came to light in 2018, and earlier this week, Kreuper pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and money laundering. The nuns embezzlement first came to light when Sister Mary Margaret was about to retire, according to church officials. "I have sinned, I have broken the law, and I have no excuses," Kreuper told U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II, Los Angeles Times reported. Two longtime nuns at St. James Catholic School in Torrance allegedly embezzled as much as $500,000 in tuition, fees and donations. The embezzlement helped to fuel her gambling habit. A staff writer for All Thats Interesting, Marco Margaritoff has also published work at outlets including People, VICE, and Complex, covering everything from film to finance to technology. Kreuper's attorney Mark Byrne explained that his client, who retired in 2018, has been under strict supervision at her convent. Anyone can read what you share. They noted that a lay person in the same situation could expect a lengthy prison sentence. Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times/Getty ImagesSister Mary Kreuper served as the principal at St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California, for 28 years. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. She broke the law, she has no excuses for it and she took full responsibility.. Most of the funds she blew on gambling trips to Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe with her friend and housemate, Sister Lana Chang. "The church tells us to forgive those who have trespassed against us," Kearns said. Basically, for the last three and a half years, shes been driving her fellow sisters to doctors appointments and things like that. 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. This snapshot of Mary Margaret Bartock's life was captured by the 1940 U.S. Census. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. 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. 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. "Pop Dick Stabile ", as he was known to those who loved . We've received your submission. Sister Lana taught there for 20 years. Shawn Christopher Flannery, age 50 of Batesville, passed away January 28, 2023 at Margaret Mary Health after a long battle with cancer. They wanted to get a Catholic education with the morals and values that they believed in and that they lead their lives in, and thats what they were looking for in the school. She said that she diverted school funds into the St. James convent account and then into its federal credit union savings account. On Monday, an attorney told the parents of St James students that the two nuns had used school funds as if the funds belonged to their own personal account. 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Sister Mary Margaret was charged on Tuesday with wire fraud and money laundering while she was the principal of St. James Catholic School in Torrance, Calif., the office of the U.S. attorney for the Central District of California said in a statement. 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. ", U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II said at last year's plea hearing that he was raised as a Roman Catholic, "and was educated by nuns. It is believed the nuns used that money to spend on travel and gambling at casinos over the years. But in fact, the sisters were only depositing some of the checks that came in. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, of Los Angeles, was sentenced Monday to one year and one day for fraud and money laundering charges. There have been calls among some parents for the pair to be charged while others said they should be forgiven. The lawyers added that she has been suffering from a mental illness that clouded her judgment and is very remorseful.. We were an ATM, and people know it and they wont ask for justice, Jack Alexander, a father at the school, said. But not all the parishioners were as understanding. Ad Choices, That Lying, Gambling, Embezzling Nun Pleads Guilty. Kreuper was the schools principal for 29 years. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Officials in the archdiocese of Los Angeles told parents that they had proof that a Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang had stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars from the St James Catholic School in Torrance. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admits to stealing over $835k from a Catholic School. She served as the schools principal for 29 years. But instead of managing the money as the school intended, Kreuper reportedly forged monthly and annual financial statements for the school as well as ordered multiple employees to falsify or destroy records in the midst of an audit. There were parents who spoke today about how their kids are no longer affiliated with the church.. Playing at online casino for real money can be a thrilling experience! 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 Gambling. A Los Angeles nun jailed for stealing more than $800,000 to fund a gambling habit has admitted "I have sinned". It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Richard D. Stabile. Thanks for contacting us. The sisters stole a total of $500,000, or half a million dollars, officials said. The two nuns. And I don't look at nuns as ordinary people. Graf said: "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.". 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." Kreuper admitted embezzling about $835,000 (616,000) in donations, tuition and fee money between . the dead priest whose DNA could help solve a nuns decades-old murder, the Missouri nun who smuggled two pounds of cocaine. "These nuns took a vow of poverty and said, 'Oh no, we've got a rich uncle'. 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. Two nuns from California stole funds from the Catholic school they were at and spent in on vacations and gambling. 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