80-year-old nun tells judge 'I have sinned' after stealing $835,000 for gambling habit
An 80-year-old former nun wanted mercy from a judge after admitting she stole $835,000 in tuition money from a Los Angeles elementary school to support her gambling habit.
The Los Angeles Times reports Mary Margaret Kreuper, former principal of St. James Catholic School, was facing 40 years in prison but was sentenced to a year and a day on Monday.
“I have sinned, I have broken the law, and I have no excuses,” she said according to the outlet.
U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II said he struggled with finding an appropriate punishment for Kreuper because she had been "one heck of a teacher" during her 62 years as a nun but down the line "ran completely off the road," according to the LA Times.
Former students of the school spoke out, saying she should be sent to prison for stealing checks from parents to take lavish trips to Las Vegas where she gambled. Others said they had forgiven her.
Trips to Las Vegas: Nun accused of embezzling more than $800,000 for gambling habit, agrees to plead guilty
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Kreuper agreed to plead guilty last summer to fraud and money laundering charges after it was discovered she embezzled money from the school for over 10 years, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
As principal of the school for 28 years, she oversaw the money the school received and admitted she diverted funds to pay for large gambling expenses while at casinos and credit card charges.
It is also alleged that Kreuper directed school employees to alter and destroy financial records.
The misuse of funds was detected in 2018 during an audit after Kreuper's retirement.
On top of the prison sentence, Wright order Kreuper to pay $835,339 in restitution that was later lowered by $10,000 for what she had already paid, the LA Times reported.
“I was wrong, and I am profoundly sorry for the pain and the suffering that I have caused so many people,” she told Wright. “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.”
Follow reporter Asha Gilbert @Coastalasha. Email: agilbert@usatoday.com.