Nuns won't change charitable mission after scam

The superior who presides over the Discalced Carmelite Monastery in Des Plaines said Thursday that the monastery won't stop giving to charitable causes after being the victim of what federal authorities say was a scam.

"It hasn't changed our lives," Mother Marie Andre said. "We will still do charity work. We are the same group we were before this happened."

Federal prosecutors say that Edward Bosire, 39, and Angela Martin-Mulu, 35, conned the monastery on River Road and another Carmelite monastery in Wisconsin of more than $900,000 combined over the course of four years. They did so by claiming to be penniless and living on the streets, and by telling stories about a father in Kenya who had been murdered for political reasons - stories that authorities say were made up.

Since news about the scam broke Thursday, the monastery has received many calls of support and one offer of a financial donation, Mother Andre said.

She said the money her monastery gave to Bosire and Martin-Mulu - she said the sum could be as much as $100,000 - came from a charity fund sustained via donations. The alleged scam won't jeopardize the financial well-being of the 15 nuns who live there, she said.

The Carmelites are a cloistered order of Catholic nuns who live in solitude and contemplative prayer. The order also makes charitable donations to local and global causes when it's deemed appropriate.

"In this case, we responded to what we thought was a legitimate case of people in need," Mother Andre said. "We did this in good faith. And it appears we got taken advantage of."

Bosire and Martin-Mulu will be prosecuted for mail fraud in Wisconsin, but they face a detention hearing in Chicago today.