One of San Diego's former mayors has come clean that she liked to do more than just a little casual gambling here and there.
According to a CBS News report, former mayor Maureen O'Connor admitted Thursday in federal court that she misappropriated $2 million from her late husband's charitable foundation as a result of a gambling addiction, an addiction whereby she won more than $1 billion from 2000-09 but lost even more over close to a decade.
The admission came as part of an agreement that O'Connor worked out with the government, permitting her to defer prosecution for two years while she seeks to repay the debt. O’Connor, 66, pleaded not guilty to a money laundering charge as part of the deferred prosecution
O'Connor, the Democratic leader of California's second-largest city from 1986 to 1992, was elected San Diego's first female leader following eight years on the City Council. She was married to the late Robert O. Peterson, founder of the well-known and profitable Jack-In-The-Box restaurant chain.
Prosecutors said her gambling winnings, which were won in Las Vegas, Atlantic City and San Diego, amounted to more than $1 billion from 2000 to 2009 but she lost more than that.
Meantime, O'Connor's defense attorney estimated the debt at $13 million.
So, do you think her deal with the government was the right call?
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