A Catholic nun has appeared in court for allegedly stealing $128,000 from two New York churches.
Sister Mary Anne Rapp faces a criminal grand larceny charge for embezzling funds from St. Mary's and St. Mark's church in upstate New York.
According to the Huffington Post, the nun worked at both churches as a pastoral associate and reportedly stole the money between 2006 and 2010.
Investigators believe she spent the money at casinos. She has since been treated for a gambling addiction.
Her attorney James P. Harrington entered a not guilty plea on her behalf, court records show.
Kevin Keenan, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo said a new pastor discovered "some irregularities" when he conducted a routine audit.
"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."
Originally a member of the Sisters of St. Francis, based in Lewiston, New York, Sister Edith Wyss, the provincial minister of the order said they were praying that Rapp recovers from his addiction.
"This is a difficult time for all of us," she said, "especially those of us who have lived and worked with Sister Mary Anne for her nearly 50 years in our community."
Rapp's attorney, James Harrington, said her crime was a once off.
"She's been a nun for a very long time, been a very good person, never in any trouble before," he said.
"She did great work wherever she was assigned."
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