Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
Troubled former NFL quarterback Art Schlichter was sentenced to 10 years in prison Thursday for his involvement in a million-dollar ticket scam.
Schlichter, a former Ohio State star, pleaded guilty in Franklin County Common Pleas Court to 12 counts of theft and one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
The 51-year-old, who has served jail time previously, had been accused of using his sports contacts to deceive would-be buyers into purchasing tickets to Ohio State football games and Super Bowl XLV in Dallas.
He was initially charged in April with a first-degree felony for allegedly bilking a 68-year-old widow in Dublin, Ohio.
According to court documents, Schlichter used the money to gamble and help pay down old debts.
Most of the money was stolen from Anita Barney, the widow of former Wendy’s chairman Robert Barney.
Schlichter is scheduled to appear Friday in US District Court in Columbus to plead guilty to bank, wire and tax fraud charges, the Dispatch reported.
The former signal caller’s professional football career was derailed in large part due to his admitted gambling addiction. He spent 12 years in prison until 2006 for fraud and forgery.
The former Buckeyes star is considered one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history. He was selected by the Baltimore Colts with the fourth overall pick in the 1982 draft, but was jettisoned to the Buffalo Bills after just three seasons. The Bills cut Schlichter before the start of the 1986 regular season.
In 1987, Schlichter received a lifetime suspension from then-commissioner Pete Rozelle after he was arrested in New York City in connection with a sports-betting operation.
