Gambling Addiction Causes $4 Million To Be Stolen By Attorney

The slot machine sights and sounds may look like a lot of fun, but there are times when the call of those sounds become destructive. This was the case for a former Bergen County attorney.

Michael Rumore pleaded guilty on Friday to stealing over $4 million to fuel his gambling habit. His game of choice was slots, but after a while the losses turned into much more than a game.

"This defendant betrayed the oath he took as an attorney, exploiting his position as fiduciary by stealing approximately $4 million entrusted to him for various real estate closings," said attorney General Anne Milgram, in a statement.

Rumore's law practices mostly involved real estate. When the market dried up several years ago, he ran o0ut of his own money to gamble with. It was at that point that Rumore decided the only way he could continue gambling would be to use money from the trust.

Atlantic City was his place of freedom. Casinos would send limos for Rumore to pick him up and then bring him home when he was done gambling.

The stealing happened over a period of a year and a half, from April 2007 to August of 2008. Rumore now faces up to fifteen years in prison for the crime. His attorney's will ask for leniency on the basis of the bi-polar disorder he suffers from.

January 3, 2009
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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