LOS ANGELES, Calif. (CBS Local) – Two longtime nuns at St. James Catholic School in Torrance allegedly embezzled as much as $500,000 in tuition, fees and donations, perhaps spending some of the money on trips and gambling at casinos while telling parents the school was operating on a shoestring budget, officials and parents told the Long Beach Press-Telegram.
Two nuns allegedly stole $500,000 from St. James Catholic School in Torrance and used the money for gambling trips. Parents were furious because the church initially has declined to press charges. Two nuns at a Catholic school in California are accused of stealing $500,000 in school funds and using the money on vacations and gambling. 2 nuns accused of embezzling $500,000 from Catholic school to spend on travel and casino gambling Monday, December 10, 2018 TORRANCE, California - Two nuns have been accused of embezzlement at a. A nun's story: sex, affairs and priests you can't refuse Sister Mary, who left her Catholic congregation in Kerala 13 years ago after 40 years of nunhood, is likely to raise her storm with her book on the church. Two others, a former nun and priest, had caused controversy with their books earlier. Two nuns who stole $500,000 from a Catholic school over a number of years used some of the money to go gambling in Vegas. Two nuns who worked at St Joseph's School in Redondo Beach.
Bank records show Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang were embezzling from the school for at least 10 years, the Press-Telegram reported.
Parents told the Press-Telegram it was well-known that Kreuper and Chang traveled often and went gambling, but that they claimed they were gifted the trips by a rich relative.
The report said a lawyer for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles told parents at a meeting, '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.'
Kreuper, who retired as the school's principal earlier in 2018, handled all tuition checks and fees. She allegedly withheld some checks and deposited them into a secret account only she and Chang were aware of.
A nun is a member of a religious community of women, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery. (Photo by Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images)
While investigators found the two gave some of the stolen money back to the school, the rest was used for their 'personal gain.'
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They reportedly kept up the charade, telling parents that the school was operating on a tight budget, all the while using the embezzled funds for lavish vacations and trips to the casino.
The report claims the archdiocese and the church were not pursuing criminal charges after the nuns showed remorse, but that many parents were outraged with that decision, noting that if the nuns were lay people, they would certainly be in jail.
The Catholic church is accusing two nuns of pilfering $500,000 from a California church. Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang reportedly used the money to take gambling trips to Las Vegas.
The two nuns worked at St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California. Kreuper had been a principal at the school. Chang had worked as a teacher. Both nuns were best friends and had taken retirement earlier this year.
The nuns had apparently embezzled school funds for over a period of years. The Catholic school made parents believe the school was operating on a shoestring budget.
Both nuns have reportedly expressed remorse in regards to their actions. Neither the archdiocese and the church will be pursuing criminal charges.
The Two Nuns Had Been Embezzling Money For Years
Monsignor Michael Meyershas revealed how an internal investigation was launchedsix months ago following a standard audit. Audits are standard procedure when a Catholic church has a leadership change.
A family also requested a copy of their tuition check made out to the school. Krueper deposited the check into a different bank account than the school's account.
Meyers stated Kreuper started acting very nervous and very anxious regarding the impending financial review. Thus, sparking suspicion.
The archdiocese hired an independent forensic accountant to review church finances. The account soon discovered the scheme.
The nuns' embezzlement scheme had been going on for at least a decade. Forensic auditors were able to trace through six years' worth of bank records and may not include other cash transactions.
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The archdiocese and parishioners never became suspicious. Both the school and the parish had always been in the black.
