How much money would you spend on a hobby? 45-year-old Kevin Lee Co spent a fortune on his. On Friday, the California man pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges after embezzling $4.8 million from his employer, prosecutors say. $1 million of that allegedly went toward a video game called Game of War.
Co, who worked for Holt of California, also spent money on other stuff.
“Co used the money he embezzled to purchase, among other things, luxury cars, home furniture, and NFL football and NBA basketball season tickets,” the Justice Department press release states.
And yeah, even among all that, about a fifth of the money went to exactly one video game. Game of War is technically free-to-play, but players can spend real world money on upgrades. You might have seen promotional trailers on YouTube starring Kate Upton.
He is clearly in the minority when it comes to liking it, though. As Friday, 71 Metacritic users gave it a negative review. Compare that 5 positive and 10 “mixed” takes.
Co is scheduled for a sentencing hearing on May 26, 2017. The wire fraud and money laundering charges each carry up to 20 years in prison. The former brings a possible $250,000 fine, and the latter up to $500,000.
[Screengrab of Kate Upton Game of War trailer via YouTube]
