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Debt leads student to rob bank
16/12/2005 17:16:00
A bizarre story from the US has shown that debt problems can strike even the most virtuous of people and lead them to do things they would never normally do.
Greg Hogan, a 19-year-old student from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, was the son of a Baptist minister, the class president and all round great guy, the Associated Press reports.
But last week he was arrested by the police for committing a bank robbery and could now spend 20 years behind bars.
The dramatic reversal in character stems from debt problems. According to the Morning Call of Allentown newspaper, Mr Hogan racked up huge gambling debts playing online poker.
His debts became so serious that he resorted to robbery.
He went into a Wachovia Bank branch and handed a note to an employee saying he was armed and wanted money, escaping with $2,871 to help cover his $5,000 debts.
His lawyer, John Waldron, told the paper: "This is one of the nicest kids I've ever met, but his gambling addiction led him to make a terrible, terrible mistake."
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