The Vietnamese Buddhist Association of Southwest Louisiana is being accused of using thousands of dollars in temple funds, to gamble.

According to the U.S. Attorney, Monk Khang Nguyen Le admitted that he gambled at L’Auberge Casino in Lake Charles, using the money from the temple’s account to play blackjack.

On two separate occasions, Le admitted to taking up to $200 thousand dollars of the church’s donations to gamble at the Lake Charles casino.

Upon further investigation, the Illicit Finance and Proceeds of Crime Unit learned, Le had actually withdrawn nearly $375 thousand dollars from the temple and personal bank accounts either at, or on days he traveled to the casino from December of 2012 to the present day.

KLFY’s Dalfred Jones made serval calls to the Vietnamese Buddhist Association of Southwest Louisiana for comment, but the calls and voicemails went unanswered.

Le faces charges of wire fraud and will be in court next month.