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Aussie Accountant Stole to Pay Gambling Habit25 June 2002AUSTRALIA – As reported by the Australia Herald Sun: "Some would have considered Samuel Roden lucky. He won $100,000 (US$57,000) in a NSW lottery and scored a jackpot worth more than $200,000 (US$114,000) on a Crown casino poker machine. "But the 49-year-old lost the lot in a four-year pokies frenzy that cost $1.4 million (US$798,000) "Roden, an accountant from East St Kilda, yesterday admitted stealing almost $1.3 million (US$740,000) from his employer over four years to feed his gambling habit. "The County Court heard Roden started playing on 5c machines, but his addiction grew until he found himself spending lunchtimes, mornings and evenings at the casino. "…A jackpot win of $10,000 (US$5,700) only served to fuel his gambling urges. "The court heard Roden had won a lottery in 1989 and also hit the jackpot at Crown in 1998, winning enough to pay back what he had already stolen from his boss. "But instead of repaying what he had stolen, the pathological gambler's thefts became more brazen. "…He forged his boss's signature on cheques and made them out to himself, stealing almost $1.3 million between November 1996 and February 2001. "Roden pleaded guilty to six counts of theft and four counts of obtaining a financial advantage by deception…" |