Officials: NY nun stole $128K from churches to feed gambling addiction, faces larceny charges
November 05, 2012 - 6:05 PM
BUFFALO, N.Y. - A nun with a gambling addiction was accused of stealing $128,000 from two rural parishes where she worked.
Sister Mary Anne Rapp was treated for a gambling addiction and is in recovery, her order said Monday, but she still faces a criminal charge of grand larceny following the thefts from the St. Mary and St. Mark congregations. She was expected to plead not guilty at an initial appearance in court on Monday evening.
In 2010, the two linked parishes were assigned a new pastor who sought a routine audit, said Kevin Keenan, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo. The audit turned "some irregularities" that were turned over to a county prosecutor, he said.
Rapp is accused of taking the money between 2006 and 2010, Keenan said.
She was placed on leave from her position as pastoral associate in February 2011 and fired in April 2011, he said.
Keenan could not say how the alleged thefts had affected the day-to-day parish operations.
"These are smaller parishes in a rural part of the diocese," Keenan said. "Regardless of the size, this would be a significant amount of money for any parish."
Officials believe Rapp spent the money at casinos. She is a member of the Sisters of St. Francis, based in Lewiston, north of Buffalo. Sister Edith Wyss, provincial minister of the 138-member order, said that when Rapp was placed on leave, she agreed to seek treatment for a gambling addiction.
"She spent 9 1/2 months in an in-patient treatment program and has maintained her recovery in the year since," Wyss said.
News from © The Associated Press, 2012