LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles nun who stole more than $800,000 to pay for a gambling habit has been sentenced to time in prison.
Eighty-year-old Mary Margaret Kreuper admitted stealing the money from 2008 to 2018 while she was principal at St. James Catholic School in the LA suburb of Torrance.
She pleaded guilty last July to wire fraud and money laundering.
“I have sinned, I’ve broken the law and I have no excuses,” Kreuper told the court via teleconference.
In her plea agreement, Kreuper acknowledged diverting money to pay for personal expenses including gambling expenses incurred at casinos.
The judge appeared to struggle with his decision to sentence Kreuper.
“I haven’t slept well in God knows how long,” U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II said, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Prosecutors reportedly wanted Kreuper sentenced to two years in federal prison. However, the judge handed down a one-year sentence.