One of the most respected and beloved former NFL player has pleaded guilty of stealing. He was accused of pocketing money from children's charity to pay off his gambling debts.
Cleveland Brown's former wide receiver Reggie Rucker was charged at the US District Court with wire fraud and lying to NBI agents. The plea bargain for Rucker who's 68 is a two years sentence in prison. According to CBS, Rucker was charged last February 16 after FBI investigation found him guilty of withdrawing hundreds of thousands of dollars from two groups to pay his Las Vegas gambling debts.
The non-profit groups involved where Rucker was charged were Amer-I-Can Cleveland which is a local chapter of an organization built by former Cleveland Browns hall of fame fullback Jim brown; and Cleveland Peacemakers Alliance which uses street workers to suppress gang violence as reported by ABC News.
The details of the charges said that Rucker withdrew hundreds of thousands of dollars through bank and ATM transactions in Las Vegas. The authorities claimed that the former player stole $65,000 to be able to pay lines of credits in Las Vegas casinos.
US District Judge Dan Polster will bring down the sentence on May 23. He said that Rucker will most likely follow his recommendations as well as the plea agreement as reported by Cleveland.com.
According to Rucker's attorney, Michael Hennenberg, the former player knows what he did was wrong and is trying his very best to correct it. He also added that he openly accepts the responsibility for his conduct. The attorney also acknowledges Rucker's gambling problems but believes that his client has already returned all the money.
Rucker, who played in the NFL from 1970 up to 1981, stayed away from the two organizations last year. He always talked about his tough upbringing and his clear desires to help underprivileged children.
