Monopoly lied.
A card in the popular board game rewards the player with a free $200 due to a “bank error in your favour.”
But a real-life bank error has led to one couple facing criminal charges in Pennsylvania after they spent most of a US$120,000 deposit that was mistakenly added to their account, the Williamsport Sun-Gazette reports.
State troopers say Robert and Tiffany Williams failed to report the unexpected windfall to BB&T Bank. Instead, they went on a wild spending spree to drain that money from their bank account as quickly as possible, leaving them with a six-figure overdraft once the bank noticed the error and reversed the deposit.
The couple dropped most of their “found” money on a race car, a camper, two four-wheelers, a car trailer and a new SUV, according to court documents obtained by local station WNEP. They also paid off their bills and handed out $15,000 to some friends in need, the documents say.
But it wasn’t their money to spend — and the bank wanted it back.
Investigators say a teller accidentally deposited the money in the couple’s account on May 31. The money was supposed to go to a business account, but the bank didn’t realize the error until mid-June, when the Williamses had already spent most of the deposit.
State Trooper Aaron Brown says the bank recognized the error and reversed the transfer on June 20. The move left the couple with an overdraft of more than $107,400, which they were told they would have to repay.
The bank contacted Tiffany Williams on June 20 and June 21 to inform her that she would have to pay back the money, WNEP reports. She said she would pay back the money but she stopped answering calls and had no further contact with the bank after those first two conversations, according to court documents.
Tiffany and Robert Williams have since been arrested and are now facing felony theft charges in connection with the incident.
They appeared in court last week and have been released on bail, the Washington Post reports.
Their combined bill for bail was reportedly $50,000 — leaving them even more in the red.