- Two Catholic school nuns in California have admitted to embezzling about $500,000, and using the funds over the years for travel and gambling in Las Vegas, their order said on Monday. Sisters Mary Margaret Kreuper and Lana Chang, who are said to be best friends, took the money from tuition, fees and donations at St. James Catholic School in.
- That was among the first clues that would unravel a vast fraud that was allegedly conducted by Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang, another nun and longtime St. James's teacher. School officials recently.
- Two nuns in California have admitted to embezzling roughly $500,000 from St. James Catholic School. The 'substantial' amount of money was stolen over the course of 10 years and spent on trips.
Southern California Catholic principal and teaching nuns stole money in years-long theft
Two nuns in California allegedly stole more than $500,000 from the school they had been at for years, which they spent in casinos and on vacations. Bank records show Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper.
Two nuns from a Catholic church in Southern California have been caught embezzling $500,000 of school funding so they could spend the money gambling in Las Vegas casinos.
Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang were reportedly caught stealing the funds from tuition, school fees, and donations so they could take wild trips to Nevada and gamble.
Sister Chang worked as a teacher while Kreuper was the principal at St. James Catholic School in Torrance.
Both sisters, described as being 'best friends,' took retirement in early 2018.
The embezzlement of school funds had reportedly been taking place 'over a period of years,' with parents being led to believe the school had been operating on a 'shoestring budget.'
Both nuns have reportedly expressed remorse in regards to their actions, and neither the archdiocese or the church will be pursuing criminal charges.
According to NBC, parishioners of St. James Church in Redondo Beach and parents of children at its elementary school were alerted in a letter this week about theft allegations against Sisters Mary Margaret Kreuper and Lana Chang.
'It is with much sadness that I am informing families of the St. James School that an internal investigation has revealed that, over a period of years, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang have been involved in the personal use of a substantial amount of School funds,' according to a letter from Msgr. Michael Meyers.
'This matter came to our attention during financial reviews in connection with the change in leadership at our School. Other staff persons were not implicated or responsible.'
Kreuper and Chang both retired at the end of this past school year.
Kreuper was principal for 29 years while Chang was a teacher for about 20 years and had also recently served as vice principal, according to a spokesman for the Los Angeles Archdiocese.
A Feb. 4 church newsletter had heralded Kreuper's retirement, listed her work phone number and urged parishioners: 'Take time to thank her for her generous service.'
Last week, the school alerted police in Torrance, where the sisters' elementary school is located, about the possible theft, according to Sgt. Ron Harris.
Nuns Steal 500k
Church officials don't want the nuns criminally prosecuted but police will still follow up on the case and present findings to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
'We were made aware that they're not desirous of a prosecution,' Harris told NBC News on Friday.
'We'll look at all the facts that ware given to us and we'll consult with the DA.'
Kreuper, Chang and their St. Joseph of Carondelet order are cooperating in the ongoing internal probe, with plans to make 'full restitution,' according to Meyers.
'Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana have expressed to me and asked that I convey to you, the deep remorse they each feel for their actions and ask for your forgiveness and prayers,' according to Meyers.
'They and their Order pray that you have not lost trust or faith in the educators and administrators of the school.'
The disclosure stunned parents who knew Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana as tough but well-liked educators.
'This is such a huge, huge shock, really disappointing,' said Viveca Tokatlian, whose son is now a senior at the University of San Diego and was once a student in Chang's eighth-grade class.
'They were just such staunch defenders of moral fortitude, they were really tough on the kids.'
The nuns lived in modest church housing, drove old cars, wore basic clothes and did nothing that would hint of enjoying extra cash, according to Tokatlian.
The nuns could not be reached for comment on Friday through publicly listed phones numbers for them and it was unclear if they had lawyers.
'Unfortunately, this is what now what their legacy is going to be — it's not going to be all the good things they did,' said Tokatlian, 53.
By Matthew Gambino • Posted April 6, 2017
A priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia responsible for a retirement home for priests faces federal charges of embezzling more than $535,000 from that same home.
Msgr. William A. Dombrow, 77, was charged by the U.S. District Attorney in Philadelphia on April 5 with four counts of wire fraud in a scheme he is alleged to have devised to siphon off funds intended for care of retired archdiocesan priests at Villa St. Joseph, Darby, where he has served as the rector since 2005.
Catholic Human Services of the archdiocese operates the nursing care and residence for 50 retired and ill archdiocesan priests.
Nuns Stole 500k
The District Attorney alleges that Msgr. Dombrow set up an account at Sharon Savings Bank in Darby unbeknownst to the archdiocese, directed money from the estates of retired or deceased priests as well as bequests of lay donors to Villa St. Joseph, and transferred money electronically for his personal use. How to withdraw money from bovada.
The scheme is alleged to have begun in December 2007 and continued through May 2016. In a statement, the District Attorney charges that the priest 'had sole access' to the bank account, 'which was funded by gifts from wills and life insurance proceeds that were intended for the archdiocese.'
The federal charges detail four transactions allegedly directed by Msgr. Dombrow: a $10,000 check paid from a separate bank in 2013; a $25,000 check paid from an individual's estate in 2014; a $14,410 check paid from the estate of Father Francis Rogers, a deceased priest, in 2015; and a $10,000 check from a life insurance firm in March 2016.
Father Rogers, named in the 2005 Philadelphia Grand Jury report on child sexual abuse by clergy, died in February 2015 after living at the Villa since 1998, and for 12 years under its Prayer and Penance program.
Developed by the archdiocese in response to the clergy abuse scandal in Philadelphia, the program is designed to house archdiocesan priests, stripped of ministerial faculties, who have been found credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors.
In a statement April 6, the Philadelphia Archdiocese said Sharon Savings Bank alerted the archdiocese last summer to 'irregularities' about an account connected to the Villa.
'Upon review of information supplied by the bank, this account was immediately frozen,' said archdiocesan spokesman Ken Gavin. 'At that time, the matter was referred to law enforcement by the archdiocese and Msgr. William Dombrow's priestly faculties as well as his administrative responsibilities were restricted. Throughout the investigation, the archdiocese has cooperated fully with law enforcement.'
The FBI and the Darby Police Department cooperated in the investigation into the priest's alleged actions.
The District Attorney's office expects Msgr. Dombrow to plead guilty to the charges by the end of April. If convicted on all charges he faces a maximum of 80 years in jail plus fines, and three years of supervised release.
Msgr. Dombrow was ordained in 1970 for the archdiocese. He has served as pastor and parochial vicar at several archdiocesan parishes, chairman of the Archdiocesan Priests' Committee on Alcoholism and director of the Matt Talbot-Emmaus Institute in Philadelphia, a former program of the archdiocese.
