Nun stole $1.1 million from school to fund gambling habit

An elderly former nun will plead guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Catholic school in California to feed her gambling habit, US prosecutors said. Despite taking a vow of poverty at age 18 and spending six decades in the church, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper admits to embezzling more than US$835,000 (NZ$1.1 million) over a decade from the St James Catholic School in Torrance, 30km southwest of Los Angeles. The money went on casino expenses and credit card charges, authorities said. She has been charged with wire fraud and money laundering. As headmistress, Kreuper, 79, oversaw an account where tuition fees and donations were deposited.