An upstate New York man staged his own abduction and robbery to avoid paying out $50,000 for the Super Bowl pool he’d organized, police said.
Cops found Robert Brandel tied up in the backseat of his blue Ford F-150 truck in a Tops supermarket parking lot in Newfane on Feb. 27, NYup.com reported.
The 60-year-old, from North Tonawanda, just outside Niagara Falls, had a rope around his neck and the other end was looped around the headrest. He was also bound at the hands and ankles with duct tape.
Brandel’s story went like this: He told state troopers that two men he’d picked up in his truck on Feb. 25 flashed a gun and stole $16,000 in cash he had won from the Super Bowl pool.
The men, who also participated in the pool, made Brandel drive around Western New York against his will for two days — then tied him up and ditched him in the parking lot, he claimed.
It didn’t take cops very long to catch on to Brandel’s alleged tall tale.
Looking to score big on game day, the wannabe high roller made up names in the squares of the pool he was running. But when none of his numbers hit, he couldn’t pay out most of the $50,000 he had promised.
Brandel is charged with felony fraud and falsely reporting an incident, a misdemeanor. He’s due in the Town of Newfane Court in March.
It’s not clear if he has an attorney.
https://nypost.com/2019/03/01/man-s...w&utm_medium=SocialFlow&utm_source=NYPTwitter
Cops found Robert Brandel tied up in the backseat of his blue Ford F-150 truck in a Tops supermarket parking lot in Newfane on Feb. 27, NYup.com reported.
The 60-year-old, from North Tonawanda, just outside Niagara Falls, had a rope around his neck and the other end was looped around the headrest. He was also bound at the hands and ankles with duct tape.
Brandel’s story went like this: He told state troopers that two men he’d picked up in his truck on Feb. 25 flashed a gun and stole $16,000 in cash he had won from the Super Bowl pool.
The men, who also participated in the pool, made Brandel drive around Western New York against his will for two days — then tied him up and ditched him in the parking lot, he claimed.
It didn’t take cops very long to catch on to Brandel’s alleged tall tale.
Looking to score big on game day, the wannabe high roller made up names in the squares of the pool he was running. But when none of his numbers hit, he couldn’t pay out most of the $50,000 he had promised.
Brandel is charged with felony fraud and falsely reporting an incident, a misdemeanor. He’s due in the Town of Newfane Court in March.
It’s not clear if he has an attorney.
https://nypost.com/2019/03/01/man-s...w&utm_medium=SocialFlow&utm_source=NYPTwitter
