Nun Will Go to Prison for Stealing $835,000 to Spend in Casinos

By John Isaac,
Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac is an editor with many years of experience in the gambling industry. He writes expert articles on card games like blackjack and poker. In addition, he is also well aware of the US gambling laws and the Indian and Dutch gambling markets. You can rely on verified information and insightful details.

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Last updated: February 19, 2022

An 80-year-old retired nun in the US was sentenced to a year in prison for stealing $835,000 from the school cash desk. According to the news, the woman spent the money on luxurious holidays and gambling.

As reported by USAToday, the elderly nun is named Mary Margaret Kreuper. It was revealed during the trial that Kreuper was charged with misappropriating US$835,000 of school funding to be used for gambling in Las Vegas.

She was also charged for using the stolen funds to travel and take luxury vacations to resorts, such as Lake Tahoe, a place where tourists flock to ferries during the summer season and skiing in the winter season.

More About Her Confession

“I have sinned, I’ve broken the law and I have no excuses. My actions violated 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,” – said the nun.

When more than 60 years ago she entered the Order of the Sisters of St. James of School, she took a vow of non-possession, which involves the rejection of earthly riches and even minimal property. However, for years she appropriated other people’s money to satisfy her gambling addiction.

More About the Fraud

The fraud was revealed during an audit. It is also known that the woman forced her subordinates to destroy documents that confirmed her guilt. When the Archdiocese of Los Angeles pressed the nun for an explanation, she replied that priests were paid more than nuns and that she thought she deserved a raise. The pensioner’s lawyer referred to the fact that she suffers from gambling addiction. In court, her lawyer demanded that his client serve her sentence in the convent, where she has lived ever since the fraud was exposed in 2018. However, ultimately she was sentenced to prison.

Kreuper admitted her offenses were a breach of her oath, God’s commandments, the rule of law and first and foremost, the trust that many have placed in her.

She admitted to money laundering and fraud in court last year. During the trial, it was revealed how funds sent for tuition payments and charity donation was actually channeled into a private bank account controlled by Kreuper.

She had ordered her staff to demolish incriminating records. At that time, she was confronted by the Archbishop of LA. According to former high school students, she should be jailed for looting a loved one’s checks in order to make luxury travels to Las Vegas, where she gambles.

The parents of some of the students stated that the church has taught them that the power of forgiveness is the most powerful tool they have and that every human makes mistakes. The nun further explained that she is aware that she is wrong and that she is deeply sorry for the pain she has caused.