Spokane7
50°
December 8, 2010 in City
Man sentenced for family theft
A Spokane man was ordered this week to repay his mother nearly $140,000 after bilking her out of the cash to fund his gambling addiction.
Mark B. English, 52, also was ordered to serve 90 days in jail, three times as long as a plea agreement recommended.
Spokane County Superior Court Judge Tari Eitzen sentenced English on Monday after hearing emotional testimony from family members.
Deputy Prosecutor Patrick Johnson said he’s pleased Eitzen imposed the maximum jail sentence.
“I suspect he deserved a lot more than that,” he said. “He had access to money and a really bad gambling habit, and he cleaned mom out.”
English was in charge of his 71-year-old mother’s finances when his daughter noticed discrepancies in her accounts. His mother soon confronted him.
“She wanted to not believe it for a really long time, but eventually her checks started bouncing and she was getting notices from her mortgage company,” Johnson said.
English pleaded guilty to first-degree theft. He’s to report to jail by Jan. 3.
2 home invasion robberies in Spokane 
John_Fever_Richmond on December 08 at 11:20 a.m.
I can COMPLETELY understand where this guy is coming from, as I have done the same to my friends and family. I don’t know Mr. English or his situation, but speaking from experience if you factor in an addiction to meth it exponentially increases the chance of you having to lie, cheat, or steal to feed these addictions. Although I feel that I would probably be doing people dirty anyways, these addictions make for a great scapegoat! Possibly being sexually abused as a child could serve as an excuse for my shadiness too! Mr. English should check into ratting out friends or family to stay free - IT WORKS FOR ME!!! You all have heard that addictions take the R out of friends right? I’m living proof of that!!!
HEAR ME SCREAM FEVER’S A FIEND