(WBEN) - A North Tonawanda man faked his own abduction in order to avoid paying his share in a Super Bowl squares pool.
State Police say that 60 year old Robert Brandel is charged with Scheme to Defraud in the first degree and Falsely Reporting an Incident third degree after troopers found him in the back seat of a vehicle in a Tops parking lot in Newfane with a rope tied around his neck attached to the head rest with his hands and ankles bound with duct tape.
Troopers rescued the male, identified him as Brandel, and started a robbery and abduction case.
Brandel claimed that on Monday, February 25, he picked up two males that were involved in his Super Bowl squares. Once they entered his vehicle one of the males brandished a pistol and took $16,000 cash he had from the squares. Brandel then claims they made him drive around Western New York at various places for two days against his will, then tied him up in the back seat.
Further investigation and interviews however revealed that the story was fabricated.
Brandel was running a $50,000 payout Super Bowl pool in which he made up names on some of the squares hoping to win and take most of the winnings. Brandel was unable to make the payouts and was short for most of the $50,000.
Brandel was taken into custody and issued appearance tickets for the town of Newfane Court returnable in March.