HomeScandal and GossipTorrance Catholic school nuns steal $500K for gambling habit- church resists charges
By Beverly Yaa Danquah Two former lunch ladies allegedly stole nearly $500,000 from a middle and high school in Connecticut, police said. Sisters Joanne Pascarelli, 61, and Marie Wilson, 67. California Two nuns known for their casino outings allegedly stole at least $500,000 from a Torrance school Exterior of St. James Catholic School in Torrance. Two nuns allegedly embezzled at least.
Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang of St.James Catholic School caught embezzling $500K for personal use, including gambling as church declines to press charges.
Southern Californiaauthorities have revealed two nuns allegedly embezzling up to $500K which was parlayed into gambling jaunts in Las Vegas.
Local 10 Newsreported Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang of St.James Catholic School (both retiring earlier this year) using money from the school’s funds to live a life of luxury over the last ten years.
Kreuper as the school’s principal, handled all tuition payments, with the sister depositing checks into a separate account that she and Chang had access to.
TWO nuns have confessed to embezzling $500,000 from the school they formerly worked at, to fund their Las Vegas gambling trips. Nuns ‘steal’ $500k to gamble in Vegas.
The Torrance pair used the money for vacations and gambling at the casino while telling parents that the school was on a tight budget.
The two ‘holy’ women were eventually caught out after a recent audit.
Despite the ongoing thefts, financial statements revealed the church continuing to operate in the black as the two sisters clandestinely plowed through church funds.
Investigators described a system in which Kreuper handled all checks made out to the school for tuition and fees before handing them over to bookkeeping staff for processing. The principal allegedly withheld some of the checks and deposited them into the other account, endorsing the back with a stamp that read, ‘St. James Convent’ instead of ‘St. James School.’
Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang: ‘We had a rich relative’.
News of the ‘indiscretions’ led to the archdiocese and the church announcing they wouldn’t file criminal charges against the nuns after ‘apologizing’ for their actions.
The Archdiocese appears to have now changed course-with ABC News reporting a criminal case may now be in the works following ‘deepening’ investigations.
Many parents were outraged with the initial decision not to press charges, with some remarking that if the nuns were lay people, they would certainly be in jail according to the presstelegram. Megabucks jackpot winners.
Told one parent, ‘We were an ATM, and people know it and they won’t ask for justice.’
The embezzlement and the church’s seeming reluctance to act has led to some locals saying the scandal underscores a failure of church leadership- while also noting that ‘only a police investigation can be trusted.’
Other parents remarked it was well-known that Kreuper and Chang traveled often and went gambling, with the two women claiming they were gifted the trips by a rich relative.
‘These nuns took a vow of poverty and said, ‘Oh no, we’ve got a rich uncle,’‘ parent Jack Alexander said. ‘The rich uncle was the parents of the St. James students.’
The school monsignor has since sent out a letter in which the nuns ‘asked that i convey to you the deep remorse they each feel for their actions and ask for your forgiveness and prayers.’
The nuns order says the woman are cooperating and intend to pay all of the money back in full.
Southern California Catholic principal and teaching nuns stole money in years-long theft
on 30th December 2018 @ 9.00pm
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.'
Nuns Stole 500k
Both nuns have reportedly expressed remorse in regards to their actions, and neither the archdiocese or the church will be pursuing criminal charges.
![Nuns Steal 500k Nuns Steal 500k](https://www.brainnewsradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/UNIUYO-Release-3rd-Batch-Of-Undergraduate-Admission-List.png)
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.
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.
Nuns Steal 500k
'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.