• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Christian News Now

Christian News Now

News for the Thinking Christian

  • Home
  • U.S.
  • World
  • Church
  • Faith
  • Tech & Science
  • Family
  • Entertainment
  • Sports

Los Angeles Nun To Plead Guilty to $835,000 School Theft

June 9, 2021 by Staff

LOS ANGELES (AP) A Los Angeles nun who took a vow of poverty has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges for stealing more than $800,000 to pay for a gambling habit, prosecutors announced Tuesday.

Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, of Los Angeles was charged Tuesday with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

Prosecutors said that in a plea agreement, also filed Tuesday, the now-retired elementary school principal acknowledged that over a decade ending in 2018, she embezzled about $835,000 in donations, tuition and fee money from St. James Catholic School in the LA suburb of Torrance.

Kreuper, who was the school principal for 28 years, “controlled accounts at a credit union, including a savings account for the school and one established to pay the living expenses of the nuns employed by the school,” the U.S. attorney’s office said.

In her plea agreement, Kreuper acknowledged diverting money to pay for personal expenses that included credit card charges and “large gambling expenses incurred at casinos,” the U.S. attorney’s office said.

Kreuper could face up to 40 years in federal prison.

A statement from her attorneys said that Kreuper was “very remorseful for what happened” and had been cooperating with law enforcement and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

Kreuper became a nun at 18, said the statement, reported by KNX-AM radio.

“Unfortunately, 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,” the statement said. “She is very sorry for any harm she has caused.”

____

This story has been corrected to say that Mary Margaret Kreuper is a retired principal but is still a nun

Filed Under: Faith

Primary Sidebar

Trending News

Palestinian Christians at Chicago Conference Ask Fellow Believers To Stand Against Gaza War

San Diego Pastor Shot Dead in His Home; Suspect Apprehended, Motive Under Investigation

‘We Fight Back on Our Knees’—Franklin Graham Explains How Christians Should Respond After Charlie Kirk’s Murder

‘Evildoers’ Sparked a Fire—Erika Kirk Pledges To Continue the Work of Her Slain Husband, Charlie Kirk

RSS ChurchLeaders

  • Sight & Sound’s Sold-Out, Live Production of ‘NOAH’ Is Coming to Movie Theaters
  • Welcoming New People to an Established Small Group

RSS Faithit

  • Wow, I Literally Wept When This Adulterous Wife Texted Her Husband, “Can I Come Home?”
  • Christian Girl Is Burned to Death by ISIS but Her Final 2 Words Prove That God Wins

RSS ForEveryMom

  • 12 Healthy Snacks That Moms Can Make in Under 10 Minutes
  • 5 Worship Songs That Will Uplift You During Stressful Days

Footer

About Us

Privacy Policy

Contact Us

Newsletter

Search

Copyright © 2025 · Christian News Now