Nun, 80, who embezzled $835,000 from Torrance School sentenced to five years in prison – Orange County Register

A nun and former principal of a Torrance Catholic school was sentenced to one year in prison on Monday, February 7, after pleading guilty to embezzled approximately $835,000 from the K-8 campus to pay for school fees. personal expenses such as gambling trips.

Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80 years old, in Los Angeles, admitted to stealing money while she was principal at St. James from 2008 to 2018. In July, she pleaded guilty to one count of phone fraud and money laundering.

U.S. District Court Judge Otis D. Wright II sentenced Kreuper to one year in federal prison and ordered the school to be repaid in full. She returned $10,000 and is expected to continue to give back what she can, even if it’s only $20 a month after she’s released.

“I have sinned, I have broken the law and I have no excuses,” Kreuper said via teleconference from a convent. “My actions violated my oath, my commandments, the law and above all, the divine trust so many people have placed in me. I was wrong and I am deeply sorry for the pain and suffering I have caused so many people.”

Kreuper is responsible for funding the school’s tuition and fees in grades kindergarten through eight, in addition to donations.

In addition to embezzling public funds, the former principal directed staff to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Poonam Kumar.

Prosecutors argued for a heavier sentence of two years in prison, considering the amount of money stolen, the time it took to execute the scheme, and efforts to destroy evidence.

“It was an outburst of greed,” Kumar said. “She abused the trust of this community.”

During the sentencing in downtown Los Angeles, Wright said he considered Kreuper’s age, previous criminal history and her more than 60 years as a nun.

But, he said, “I’m sure this terrible example will affect these kids. … You have just run completely on the road. ”

In an earlier interview with authorities, Wright said, Kreuper told investigators that one factor in taking the money was that she felt there was a pay disparity between the private and public schools. . The judge asked Kreuper how she could believe it, since she was a nun and “basically poor.”

Kreuper said, “What I consider unjust is the right reason for my sin, and I know that I was wrong.”

Kreuper’s defense attorney said she suffered from a gambling addiction. Wright also asked Kreuper to get addiction counseling.

Dozens of people – among church leadership, school colleagues, parents and former students – signed the sentencing letters. The majority supported Kreuper receiving a lighter sentence, Judge Wright said.

After reviewing the letters, Wright said Kreuper could have impacted the lives of thousands of children in positive ways and helped them achieve success. Kreuper wiped his tears at the judge’s comment.

Several people spoke during the hearing, including some parents of the student who said they felt betrayed when Kreuper pocketed their tuition, and others said they forgave her. that.

One former student said the whole experience had shaken her, violated her trust and played a role in dissipating her from being a member of the Catholic church.

Kevin Kearns, a former FBI agent whose son attended St. James, said Kreuper always puts students and parents above everything else. She was always available to answer any questions and help resolve any concerns Kearns said he had.

“I don’t feel like a victim in this case, I get exactly what I pay for,” Kearns said. “My son gets the best education possible, in fact, I would have probably paid twice as much to send him to St. James.”

But Cheryl Hugo, a former school secretary whose son also attends St. James, said Kreuper’s actions were “an abuse of power in every possible way”, including the nun’s attempt to press charges against her while destroying evidence.

The scandal surfaced publicly in 2018 when the small school announced that it had informed police that Kreuper and a second sister had “engaged in the personal use of a substantial amount of school funds.” The second sister was never charged.