Lafayette Buddhist Monk Accused Of Embezzling $150K From Temple To Play Blackjack

According to court documents, federal authorities arrested Khang Nguyen Le, 35, this past past Saturday for allegedly embezzling at least $150,000 from a Buddhist temple in Lafayette.

KATC reports Khang Nguyen Le was arrested Saturday in New York at LaGuardia International Airport awaiting his flight to Canada. Le is being accused of one count of wire fraud for allegedly gambling the money at L'Auberge du Lac Casino in Lake Charles.

Le's attorney says his client was not attempting to escape to Canada, but was going there to pick up a vehicle for a friend that he was going to drive back down to Texas.

It's not completely clear exactly how much money Le embezzled, but authorities speculate it's between $150,000 and $200,000. They say he would sometimes put money back into the temples bank account after winning, and sometomes would stash the money at home for his next casino trip.

Lafayette Buddhist Monk Accused Of Embezzling $150K From Temple To Play Blackjack In Lake Charles