Criminals can be simultaneously ingenious and unbelievably stupid. Such is the case of Kevin Lee Co, an employee at California-based heavy machinery company Holt. From May 2008 to March 2015, Co used the company credit account to defraud his employer of nearly $5 million dollars. Run of the mill corporate crime, until you realize what Kevin Lee Co spent his newfound fortune on.
Along with standard extravagances like expensive cars and season tickets to local sports teams, Co somehow spent $1 million on the smartphone game “Game of War.” That is not a typo. He spent almost a quarter of the money he stole on a game that doesn’t even cost money. According to VentureBeat, the average amount spent on the game in 2015 was $550, and we have to wonder whether Co wasn’t single-handedly responsible for bringing that number up by at least $100.
Kevin Lee Co took a plea deal for one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. He must pay back his former employer over $4,500,000 in restitution, and will likely spend at least a decade in prison. If only he’d used some of that “Game of War” money
Check out the infamous Kate Upton-starring “Game of War” trailer below for a refresher.
[via ArsTechnica]