Man Allegedly Fakes Own Kidnapping to Avoid Paying Super Bowl Debts

Robert Brandel was charged with fraud and falsely reporting an incident.
Robert Brandel was charged with fraud and falsely reporting an incident.New York State Police/CBS News

State troopers found Robert Brandel, 60, Monday tied up in his pickup truck outside Buffalo.

A New York man allegedly faked his own kidnapping to get out of paying $50,000 he owed in a Super Bowl pool, New York State Police said.

State troopers found Robert Brandel, 60, Monday tied up in his pickup truck, which was parked in a lot about 30 miles north of Buffalo, CBS News reported. He allegedly initially told cops that two men involved in the pool had robbed him of $16,000, drove him around for two days and left him bound in his truck.

Turns out, investigators said they determined Brandel had entered some fake names in the $50,000 pool, hoping to take home a loot of winnings. But he ended up coming up short and instead owned a lot of money.

Brandel was charged with fraud and falsely reporting an incident.

It wasn't clear if Brandel had a lawyer to speak for him, The Associated Press reported.

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