Picture having $5,000,000 at your fingertips—what would you choose to spend it on?
A new home? An unforgettable vacation? Perhaps another property?
One individual embezzled this sizable amount from his employer but chose to indulge in a different kind of spending spree.
He spent £1,000,000 on a rather unexpected item… a mobile video game.
Yes, it’s true.
He invested One. Million. Dollars in in-game purchases for his beloved game.
A California man admitted to stealing approximately $5,000,000 from his employer over seven years.
He confessed to using a fifth of this amount on ‘player fees for an online video game’.
The US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of California released a statement regarding Kevin Lee Co’s guilty plea in 2016.
The game in question was Game Of War, which was available on mobile platforms after its release in 2013.
It gained significant popularity in 2015, notably when it was featured in a Super Bowl advertisement with Kate Upton.
Co didn’t devote all his stolen funds to the game; he also purchased ‘luxury cars, home furniture, and NFL football and NBA basketball season tickets’.
He was employed as an accounting department manager at Holt of California from 2008 to March 2015.
To prevent suspicion about the source of his wealth, the Attorney’s Office stated that Co ‘engaged in a money laundering scheme’ to obscure his actions.
A Reddit user remarked on the extent of spending on the game: “It was absurd what the big players spent on this thing in real life. And you could lose it all… you would buy packs that had all of this stuff in it and they were usually $100/pack.”
They continued: “The leader of my clan was into it for around $40,000. Was playing drunk one night and fell asleep/passed out. And got zeroed, which means he lost everything. Spent enough to rebuild it all within 48 hrs.”
Another user added: “Obviously it’s his fault for choosing to steal, but imagine how manipulative a game has to be to get someone to spend a million dollars.”
Someone with industry experience commented: “I’m a game developer and I absolutely hate how some new games will gladly take a near infinite amount of money from you. I’m ok (not thrilled) with the idea of paying for new levels, or new content, but paying so you can play a few minutes more is a horrible horrible idea.”
Co was facing a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison but was instead sentenced to 10 years and ordered to repay $5 million in restitution.