Man Allegedly Fakes Own Kidnapping to Avoid Paying Super Bowl Debts

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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