Nuns Embezzled From Catholic School For Years To Fund Las Vegas Gambling Trips

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has confirmed that two nuns have been caught stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Saint James Catholic School in Torrance, California.

The two sisters took vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, but that didn’t stop them from using the school’s bank account to fund lavish gambling trips to Las Vegas. According to church officials, the skim may have been going on for as long as a decade, and could eventually total out to more than $500,000.

Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, who acted as the school’s principal, and Sister Lana Chang, who taught eighth grade, were discovered after retiring earlier this year. Kreuper would apparently divert checks meant for tuition to an old, forgotten school account, which she and Chang would use for their vacations and gambling sprees.

Kreuper worked at the school for 29 years, while Chang was there for 20. Both nuns admitted to the theft when confronted, after initially claiming the trips were gifts from a rich relative, and have reportedly apologized while cooperating with the investigation.

Despite doing the crime, however, it appears as though Kreuper and Chang will not do the time. The church does not plan on pressing charges, and the nuns’ order, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, has pledged to pay the money back.

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