California nun pleads guilty to stealing over $ 800,000 to pay for gambling trips

A California nun will plead guilty to cheating over $ 800,000 from the Catholic elementary school she ran to pay for her gambling trips, federal prosecutors said.

Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, was charged Tuesday with wire fraud and money laundering charges for ripping off St. James Catholic School for a period of 10 years through September 2018, according to a press release from the US Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California.

Kreuper, who was principal of the school for 28 years, pleaded guilty to a deal with the public prosecutor, the statement said.

Kreuper used her position to funnel $ 835,339 of the school’s funds “to pay for expenses that the order would not have approved, let alone paid for, including large casino gaming expenses and certain credit card fees,” according to the settlement agreement.

The nun was responsible for overseeing tuition fees, fees the school received and donations to charitable causes, prosecutors said.

She also controlled the school’s credit union accounts, which she used to divert other funds that she would then use for spending, prosecutors said.

The prosecutor said she also admitted she had falsified the school’s financial records.

She is due to be charged on July 1st.