The nun known as Mary Margaret Kreuper, who is 80 years old, confessed to stealing the money within a period of 10 years (2008-2018) while she was still a principal at James Catholic School which is located in the LA suburb of Torrance.

She pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering and wire fraud. She was ordered by U.S. District Court Judge Otis D. Wright II to pay the sum of approximately $835,000 to the school.

“I have sinned, I’ve broken the law and I have no excuses,” Kreuper said via teleconference. “My actions were in violation of 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.”

Reports revealed that the now-retired elementary school principal confessed that she embezzled the money through tuition fees and donations.

She said that she used the money to pay for her personal expenses which included large gambling expenses and credit card charges that she incurred at casinos.

The old nun served as a principal at the elementary school for 28 years, she was responsible for receiving school donations and fees. She was also in charge of controlling different school accounts which included an account that was meant to cover the living expenses of nuns employed by the school.

Her gambling habits made her go broke and she was tempted to start diverting school funds to aid her chronic gambling habit. She visited casinos regularly and incurred many heavy credit card charges which she used the school’s funds to pay for her personal charges.