A Los Angeles court sentenced 80-year-old nun Mary Margaret Kreuper to 1 year in prison for embezzling more than $800,000 from the school budget, which was spent on personal expenses.
The investigation revealed that Mary, as a Catholic school principal, had been transferring funds to the St. James Convent account for 10 years and then cashing them out to pay for credit cards and trips to Las Vegas to play casino games. She also purchased expensive gadgets for her family and relatives and paid for restaurants and expensive meals for herself.
According to police calculations, Margaret withdrew more than $80,000 annually, which could have paid the tuition of 14 students. Thus, due to the embezzlement, about 140 students who did not receive scholarships could not attend school.
According to the California State Attorney’s press office, Kreuper falsified school financial records, which is how she was able to hide her crimes for so long. It is unknown if anyone in the school administration knew of her crimes, but only Mary Margaret ended up in the dock.
At the end of 2021, the nun was arrested, and in early 2022, the court found her guilty and sentenced her to a real prison term. At that time, the elderly nun faced up to 40 years in prison. In addition, she is obliged to pay compensation in the amount of $825 thousand stolen over the past ten years. Given Kreuper’s age, the public does not expect the compensation to be paid in full.
At the announcement of the verdict, Mary not only fully admitted guilt but also confirmed that she had departed from the commandments and faith by committing such a low criminal act. She repents and will try to spend her time in prison in prayer and repentance.
This article was prepared by megapariregistration.com
