Lottery Player stole to feed habit
17/09/2010 08:05:30
A New Yorker, hooked on playing the lottery, embezzled over $2 million from his workplace to play various US lottery draws. The lottery player stole to feed a habit he claimed, an addiction but now it looks as though he could spend the rest of his life behind bars. Richard Bassik is 67 years old and has admitted to pocketing $2.3 million using his property management company between 2005 and 2009, the money, he says was used to fund an addiction to buying lottery tickets.
The sentence this lottery player will face is likely to be between 5 and 15 years, a sentence that could ensure Mr Bassik dies in prison. The compulsive lottery player pleaded guilty to stealing the seven-figure sum from condo and co-op buildings he managed and now is awaiting sentencing.
Mr Bassik claims that almost all of the money was spent on lottery tickets, multi-state ones such as the Mega Millions and Powerball Lottery and local lottery draws such as the New York Lottery. He certainly may deserve punishment, but this sort of behaviour would surely be made better by therapy, Mr Bassik clearly has a big problem (and not much luck as in over $2 million of lottery tickets, he never won a single jackpot)
Now if you do enjoy playing the big US Lottery draws, in an honest and fun way of course then there’s plenty to play for this weekend. Tonight it’s the multi-state Mega Millions Lottery and that jackpot is an estimated $54 million but it’s Saturday when the big draw takes place. The Powerball Lottery has been attracting attention from world lottery players this week as the jackpot has just tipped $100 million; tomorrow’s draw has an estimated $112 million up for grabs!
Written by Lottie McD
Page Last Updated: 05/01/2011 11:12:07
