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Two nuns accused of stealing thousands of dollars, gambling in Las Vegas


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Two nuns have been accused of embezzling thousands of dollars from a Catholic school to help fund trips to Las Vegas, according to local reports.


The Archdiocese of Los Angeles said the nuns working at St. James Catholic School in Torrance, California, may have taken as much as $500,000 in tuition, fees and donations, reports KABC-TV.


The money was allegedly used on travel and gambling. KABC reports the $500,000 figure is based only on what auditors found and could include additional cash transactions.


In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, Monsignor Michael Meyers of St. James Catholic School said the nuns, identified as Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chang, stole a "substantial" amount of school funds.


The misuse of funds was uncovered during a standard audit after Kreuper's retirement, reports the Long Beach Press-Telegram. Kreuper was the school's principal, AP reported.


"Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana have expressed to me and asked that I convey to you, the deep remorse they each feel for their actions and ask for your forgiveness and prayers," Meyers said in his letter, reports AP.


In a statement, The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, the order the nuns represent, said the nuns have been placed in a religious house under the supervision of community leadership.


"As a religious community, we will not defend the actions of our Sisters," said the order in their statement. "What happened is wrong. Our Sisters take full responsibility for the choices they made and are subject to the law."


The archdiocese notified police, but doesn't plan to press charges, reports the AP.


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Los Angeles (AFP) - Two California nuns who stole around $500,000 dollars from the school where they worked and splashed out on travel and gambling in Las Vegas are facing criminal charges, their order confirmed Tuesday.


Sisters Mary Margaret Kreuper and Lana Chang, who are said to be best friends, reportedly embezzled the huge sum over the course of a decade from St James Catholic School in Torrance, south of Los Angeles.


The Archdiocese of Los Angeles said the money was discovered missing during a routine audit after Kreuper, who was principal at the school for 29 years, retired earlier this year. Chang was a teacher at the school for 20 years and also retired this year.


The nuns' order confirmed it had been informed the Archdiocese had filed a criminal complaint against the pair.


"As a religious community we will not defend the actions of our Sisters. What happened is wrong. Our Sisters take full responsibility for the choices they made and are subject to the law," it said in a statement to AFP.


It added the two sisters have been removed from their residence, placed in a religious house under supervision, and banned from all public ministry.


"This has definitely been shocking to the entire school and parish community," Adrian Alarcon, head of media relations for the Archdiocese, told AFP.


She added the case was all the more disquieting given the Church's teachings that clearly spell out "thou shall not steal."


The order on Monday said Kreuper and Chang admitted to their misdeeds and were cooperating to determine the full amount of money taken.


The sisters expressed remorse over their actions in a letter shared with parents at a school meeting last week, and their order has vowed to make full restitution.


"Justice demands this of us," it said in its statement.


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