Buddhist Monk Steals Bare Money From His Temple To Gamble At A Casino

This is a happy monk, not a thieving one. Feature image credit: Getty

OK, this is great banter.

A Buddhist monk was sentenced to 30 months in prison yesterday after nabbing over a quarter of a million dollars from his own temple to gamble at a casino.

Yes, 36-year-old Khang Nguyen Le, a Vietnamese man living in Lafayette, Louisiana, went face-to-face with the long dick of the law and lost.

U.S District Judge Donald Walter, who was appointed by Ronald Reagan during his presidency, demanded Le to pay back the money he stole. Authorities have said he might be deported to Vietnam after he has served his time in prison.

Le, who had been president monk of the temple of the Vietnamese Buddhist Association of Southwest Louisiana from 2010 to October 2014, had taken a healthy bite out of their accounts between January 2013 and August 2014 in order to throw down some chips at a Lake Charles casino.

To avoid capture, Le would lie to his colleagues and gamble in quieter areas, the authorities said.

But the fact he withdrew money from casino tellers was always gonna come back to haunt him.

I admire Le's ambition but maybe next time, just quit Buddhism and use your own money.

Words Josh Teal

Josh Teal

Josh Teal is a journalist at LADbible. He has contributed to the 'Knowing Me, Knowing EU' and 'UOKM8?' campaigns interviewing everyone from student drug dealers to climate change activists.

@tealioni