Hot! Former Ohio State Football Star Sentenced For Ticket Scam Reuters

By Jim Leckrone

COLUMBUS, Ohio Fri Sep 16, 2011 2:38pm EDT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Reuters) - Art Schlichter, your original Ohio State celebrity whose professional footballing vocation seemed to be reduce limited by simply poker problems, may be sentenced to be able to ten years inside prison for any sporting activities ticket scam, officials mentioned upon Friday.

Schlichter, 51, pleaded in the wrong on Thursday to thirteen felony counts, like 12 theft-related criminal acts along with a racketeering charge, Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney Ron O'Brien said.

Schlichter publicly stated to help taking over $1 million from his or her sufferers simply by promising to utilize their particular cash to obtain seats to Ohio State basketball games, the particular Super Bowl and other wearing events. But your dog by no means acquired this seat tickets and on the other hand used the money to loan his gambling.

One with his / her patients ended up being Anita Barney, the 69-year-old widow connected with Robert Barney, the previous chairman in the Wendy's hamburger chain who passed on around 2007.

Schlichter, who has been within state arrest awaiting courtroom action, has also inserted a plea understanding within a government case, along with seemed to be expected to officially plead guilty for a soon after date, based on Steven Nolder, his u . s . open defender.

"This has been the third section on the tragic story," Nolder said.

Schlichter has been supposed to be published from penitentiary when waiting for the imposition in the federal sentence, Nolder said. His generate could have location following week, after government bodies developed an electronic monitoring system and keep track of his movements.

Schlichter's state phrase will probably function concurrently using his government sentence, which usually beneath your agreement is tendencies many years as well as three months. He will become his expression in national prison, which is achievable he could possibly be published following a u . s . term can be up, Nolder said.

Nolder claimed he longed the government prison would likely supply a system "to help Art recover" through his gambling addiction.

"This is definitely one particular circumstances where by all people taking walks apart a loser," Nolder said.

Schlichter features have a good background with career in addition to legal challenges regarding gambling. He made twelve ages within penitentiary intended for participating in forgery in addition to fraudulence to compliment his addiction.

A quarterback at Ohio State , Schlichter ended up being drafted because of the Baltimore Colts around 1982, in which he has been inside repeated trouble because of gambling. He was found by the Buffalo Bills throughout 1986, however appeared to be reduce leading to a year began.

(Writing by means of Mary Wisniewski; Additional reporting simply by Jim Leckrone; Editing by Cynthia Johnston)