LAKE STATION | The more than $100,000 in gambling losses that former Lake Station Mayor Keith Soderquist's and his wife, Deborah, piled up over a few years are small potatoes when compared to some politicians.
When Soderquist, along with his wife, was convicted Sept. 11 of improperly using campaign funds and food pantry money for gambling, he joined a long line of officials who have dipped into the public till to feed their habit.
Les Bernal, executive director of Stop Predatory Gambling, said there are thousands of such examples and anyone with a high-pressure job is susceptible to problem gambling.
Soderquist testified during his trial that gambling at the casino was "a way for me to get away" and not run into constituents wanting to talk to him about issues like their garbage not being picked up.
Bernal also claimed that more than two-thirds of people deemed to be compulsive gamblers have "committed some type of crime to feed their addiction."
Less than a week after the Soderquists were convicted of wire fraud and filing false tax returns, the former chief deputy auditor for LaPorte County was convicted of embezzllng more than $150,000 from the county and defrauding her elderly father-in-law of at least $400,000. According to evidence presented in the case of 67-year-old Mary Ray, of LaPorte, she used the money to gamble at casinos.
The issue is not constrained to Indiana. One of New Mexico's highest ranking elected officials could face prison time and thousands of dollars in fines if convicted of charges that she misused campaign donations for personal gain, according to court documents prosecutors filed Friday.
Prosecutors also submitted arguments as to why the case against Secretary of State Dianna Duran should remain in state district court in Santa Fe.
The two-term Republican is accused of funneling campaign donations into personal accounts, filing false campaign finance reports and withdrawing large sums of cash while frequenting casinos around the state.
She pleaded not guilty to the charges at an arraignment earlier this week.
It could be December before a preliminary hearing is held to determine if there's probable cause for Duran to be tried on the 64 counts outlined in the complaint.
Duran, who has been absent from her office with the exception of one visit and conference calls with her staff, has remained silent about the accusations.
Her attorney, Erlinda Johnson, has said Duran is still the sitting secretary of state and has not been convicted of any crime.
Bernal provided a number of other recent examples of public officials committing criminal acts to support their gambling habit. They include:
• Stacey L. Chasteen, 49, the former police chief of Greensburg, Ind., admitted to stealing $75,000 from the department's evidence room and using it to gamble. (Source: Indystar.com)
• Phyllis Wilson, 62, the former assistant treasurer of Niles, Ohio, was sentenced to 180 days in jail for stealing $142,772 from the city. At Wilson's sentencing, she said she let an addiction to gambling ruin her and her values. (Source: WFMJ.com)
• Carrie Bowerman, the former Deputy Treasurer of Charlotte, Mich., was sentenced to 180 days in jail last month for embezzlement and had to pay $79,350.03 in restitution to the city of Charlotte. During sentencing, information was presented she lost $50,000 at one casino alone. (Source: WILX.com)
• Republican State Sen. Rick Brinkley of Oklahoma pleaded guilty to five counts of wire fraud and one count of subscribing to a false tax return. Brinkley was employed at the Better Business Bureau in Tulsa and a BBB lawsuit said he set up fake corporations to steal more than $1.8 million to pay bills and "support a hidden gambling habit." (Source: Associated Press)
• Former Tecumseh, Ohio, School Superintendent Brad Martin was ordered to serve six months in jail and five months probation for stealing from the school district and going to casinos on work time. (Source: daytonadailynews.com)
• Former San Diego Mayor Maureen O'Connor, meanwhile, entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the government in 2013 that required her to pay $2 million in restitution to a charity set up by her late husband. O'Connor said she used the money to gamble at casinos. The government said she wagered an estimated $1 billion over time with total losses of $13 million, although she was not accused of wagering city money. (Source: SanDiegoUnionTribune.com)
Philip L.B. Halpern, who served as chief of the major frauds and special prosecutions section for the U.S. attorney's office in San Diego, told the New York Times that O'Connor's case was first brought to prosecutors' attention by the Internal Revenue Service, which receives reports of winnings from casinos.
O'Connor was said to have lost most of her money on video poker machines. The Soderquists also lost most of their money on slot machines.
Keith Soderquist testified at his trial that he gambled too much, but denied being addicted to gambling. He also testified that when he first started gambling he did not really bet heavily and most of the time played the penny slots.
"As time went by it increased," he said.
According to Bernal, it is not uncommon for compulsive gamblers to deny they are addicted to gambling until they hit "rock bottom."
He also said "the penny slots are the No. 1 money maker for casinos in the country" and he noted that the way the machines are designed the amount of money actually bet at one time may be 50 cents or more rather than a penny.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.