As Nuns Face Criminal Charges In Alleged Embezzlement Scheme, Police Urge Victims To Come Forward

TORRANCE (CBSLA) — Torrance police are urging victims of an alleged embezzlement scheme to come forward, amid claims two nuns at a local school used money they stole for lavish trips to Las Vegas.

Two nuns in Torrance have admitted to embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The women worked at St. James Catholic School for years and detectives say the embezzlement could go back decades. They say the school wasn't going to press charges against the nuns and the L.A. Archdioceses told them the matter would be handled internally.

Now, that's changed.

"We didn't have much information to go on. However, they have since come to us and they want to work with us in this investigation and they want to go forward with an investigation and therefore we have more info now to look into," Sgt. Ronald Harris said.

The department will be adding extra staff on Tuesday from 4-7 p.m. and on Thursday from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. for anyone who thinks they submitted a tuition check or cash donation that was compromised. The embezzling could go back at least a decade. The L.A. Archdiocese says at a recent school meeting, an apology letter written by the nuns admitting to their misconduct and asking for forgiveness was read.

"It's a tragic situation where you have possible funds being misused," Harris said.

The nuns had not been arrested or charged at the time of this report.