A long-time headmaster of a Catholic primary school in the USA is alleged to have embezzled funds over many years and to have gambled them away in a casino, among other things.
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Now, according to the district attorney's office in Los Angeles, the nun with a gambling addiction has been charged with money laundering and fraud. According to the indictment, the 79-year-old confessed to having pocketed more than 835,000 dollars (£591,500) to fuel her rabid addiction.
Gambling addiction and donation theft
The nun, who worked for many years as headmaster of a Catholic primary school in the city of Torrance in the US state of California, had embezzled school and donation funds and falsified accounting books over a period of ten years.
The deficits only came to light much later during an audit, as the New York Times reports. The nun, who once took a vow of poverty, is now retired.
The gambling-addicted nun expressed her regrets
According to the public prosecutor's office, the 79-year-old said she had used the embezzled money to pay for 'large gambling expenses' and credit card debts.
According to her lawyers, the nun is willing to cooperate with the authorities and regrets her actions. Her lawyers further explain that the woman had helped her fellow men all her life, but later developed psychological problems that clouded her judgement.
On 1 July, the nun has to appear in court again to justify her actions. According to the prosecution, she could face a maximum prison sentence of 40 years for the two offences.
