A Los Angeles nun who took a vow of poverty has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges for stealing more than $ 800,000 to pay for her gambling addiction, prosecutors in the case reported Tuesday.
Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, was charged with
one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering
.
Prosecutors said the now-retired nun in her plea deal
acknowledged that over more than a decade (through 2018) she stole about $ 835,000 in donations, tuition and tuition money
from St. James Catholic School in the suburb. of Torrance in Los Angeles.
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Kreuper, who was director of the school for 28 years, "controlled the accounts of a credit union, including
a savings account for the school and one established to pay the living expenses of the nuns employed by the school,"
said the federal prosecutor's office.
Kreuper acknowledged diverting money to pay for personal expenses that included
credit card charges and "large gambling expenses incurred at casinos,
" the federal prosecutor's office said.
Now he could face
up to 40 years in federal prison.