Man faked own kidnapping to avoid paying $50,000 Super Bowl bet, police say
A man faked his own abduction and robbery because he couldn't pay the $50,000 he owed in a Super Bowl pool, New York State Police said. The Associated Press reports 60-year-old of Robert Brandel of North Tonawanda, New York, was found tied up in his pickup truck Monday.
State troopers discovered the truck in a parking lot about 30 miles north of Buffalo. Brandel told them that two men involved in his "Super Bowl squares" pool robbed him of $16,000. He said the men drove him around for two whole days and then left him tied up in his truck.
Investigators later determined Brandel entered some fake names in his $50,000 squares pool for the Super Bowl. His hope was to take home most of the winnings, police said. Instead, Brandel ended up short and owed a huge chunk of money.
It seems Brandel dug himself into an even deeper whole by concocting the scheme to fake his won kidnapping. Not only does he owe $50,000 to his Super Bowl pool, but he is now charged with fraud and falsely reporting an incident. It couldn't be determined if he has a lawyer to comment, the AP reports.