A 36-year-old Buddhist monk in the US has been sentenced to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay USD 263,463 in restitution after embezzling over USD 260,000 from a temple in Louisiana for gambling at a casino.
Khang Nguyen Le, a Vietnamese citizen who is living in Lafayette, was sentenced by US District Judge Donald E. Walter on one count of wire fraud yesterday.
He was also ordered to pay USD 263,463.36 in restitution and may face deportation to Vietnam after release from prison, United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley said.
Finley said the monk was sentenced to 30 months in prison for wrongfully taking over USD 263,000 from his own temple.
According to the March 17, 2016 guilty plea, Le was the president, presiding monk and resident of the temple of the Vietnamese Buddhist Association of Southwest Louisiana in Lafayette from 2010 to October of 2014.
From January of 2013 until August of 2014, Le wrongfully withdrew USD 263,463.36 in temple funds from the temple's bank accounts to gamble at a Lake Charles casino.
Le would drive to Lake Charles and withdraw the money from temple bank accounts using automated teller machines and casino tellers, Department of Justice said in a press release.
To hide his unlawful activity from temple members, Le would misrepresent the temple's financial situation at meetings and gambled in lower-populated areas of the casino to avoid being seen, it said.
Le was at no time authorised by the temple to use its money for gambling purposes, the release added.
