LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles nun who pleaded guilty to stealing more than $800,000 from a California Catholic school has been sentenced to prison.
Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, stole the money over the 10 years she was principal of the St. James Catholic School in Torrance, as we previously reported. She pleaded guilty in June to charges of wire fraud and money laundering in connection with the theft.
On Monday, she was sentenced to one year in federal prison, as well as ordered to pay back the approximately $835,000 as restitution, KNBC reported.
“I have sinned, I’ve broken the law and I have no excuses,” Kreuper said via teleconference, The Associated Press reported. “My actions were in violation of my vows, my commandments, the law and, above all, the sacred trust that so many had placed in me. I was wrong and I’m profoundly sorry for the pain and suffering I’ve caused so many people.”
Kreuper was a principal at the school for 28 years, and was responsible for money the school received for tuition, fees and charitable donations, as well as controlled the school’s accounts at a credit union, KCBS reported.
In her plea agreement, Kreuper admitted to taking money from the school to pay for credit card debt and “large gambling expenses incurred at casinos,” the U.S. attorney’s office told the AP.
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