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POTENTIAL STORM. NOW TO A DEVELOPING STORY OUT OF NEW HAVEN.
85 THOUSAND DOLLARS. THAT'S THE AMOUNT OF MONEY PROSECUTORS SAY WAS EMBEZZLED BY KARL JACOBSON WHEN HE WAS CHIEF OF POLICE. TODAY JACOBSON TURNED HIMSELF IN TO STATE POLICE.
ACCORDING TO AN ARREST WARRANT, JACOBSON TOOK FROM TWO CITY FUNDS. ONE FOR POLICE NARCOTICS ENFORCEMENT. THE OTHER IS THE POLICE ACTIVITY LEAGUE FUND, USED IN PART TO FUND CAMPS FOR KIDS. THE WARRANT DOES STATE JACOBSON GAVE FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS BACK TO THE PAL PROGRAM AT THE END OF LAST MONTH.
THE WARRANT ALSO REVEALS AN INVESTIGATION INTO JACOBSON'S GAMBLING. BETWEEN JANUARY 1ST, 2025, AND JANUARY 8TH OF THIS YEAR, PROSECUTORS SAY JACOBSON WAGERED ABOUT FOUR AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS BETWEEN DRAFT KINGS AND FANDUEL. HE IS CURRENTLY OUT ON BOND AND WILL MAKE HIS FIRST COURT APPEARANCE MARCH 6TH.
NEWS 8'S PRESTON STOBER IS HERE NOW WITH MORE. PRESTON, YOU ACCORDING TO THAT WARRANT, JACOBSON WAGERED MORE THAN $4 MILLION DOLLARS USING AN APP. EXPERTS SAY THE ABILITY TO MAKE BETS LIKE THAT AT YOUR FINGERTIPS CAN NOT ONLY BE DANGEROUS, BUT CAN LEAD TO LIFE ALTERING CONSEQUENCES.
$4.5 MILLION DOLLARS WAGERED IN JUST OVER A YEAR. THAT IS HOW MUCH JACOBSON BET FROM JANUARY 2025 TO JANUARY 2026, ACCORDING TO HIS ARREST WARRANT. THE WAGERS WERE PLACED USING TWO ACCOUNTS ON FANDUEL AND DRAFTKINGS. IN THAT TIME, THE WARRANT SHOWS HE LOST MORE THAN $200,000. JACOBSON HAS SINCE ADMITTED TO A GAMBLING ADDICTION.
KAITLYN KRASSELT/CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER PROTECTION: "IT CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE A LOT QUICKER THAN SOME OTHER ADDICTIONS BECAUSE THERE IS A FINANCIAL ELEMENT INVOLVED AND YOU CAN LOSE THAT MONEY VERY QUICKLY."
THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER PROTECTIONS SAYS THAT ONLINE GAMBLING BECAME LEGAL IN CONNECTICUT IN 2021, AND SINCE THEN HAS GROWN RAPIDLY. IN CONNECTICUT, ONLY THREE SITES ARE AVAILABLE: DRAFTKINGS, FANDUEL, AND FANATICS. THE DEPARTMENT SAYS PROTECTIONS DO EXIST TO AVOID CATASTROPHE, INCLUDING A SELF-EXCLUSION LIST THAT ANYONE CAN SIGN UP FOR, BARRING AN INDIVIDUAL FROM OPENING AN ONLINE GAMBLING ACCOUNT.
KRASSELT: "IT COULD BE BECAUSE YOU KNOW THAT YOU HAVE AN ISSUE OR A PROBLEM WITH GAMBLING. OR, IT COULD JUST BE THAT YOU DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM, YOU JUST DON'T WANT TO PARTICIPATE."
IT'S A BARRIER FOR A GROWING PROBLEM, A PROBLEM THAT ACTS FAST.
RYAN MCGUIGAN/CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: "AT FIRST IT STARTS OFF AS FIVE TO TEN DOLLARS AND THEN IT IS A COUPLE HUNDRED DOLLARS. NEXT THING YOU KNOW, YOU ARE GAMBLING $100,000 A MONTH."
DEFENSE ATTORNEY RYAN MCGUIGAN PROVIDES HELP FOR AN ARRAY OF ADDICTIONS, INCLUDING GAMBLING. HE SAYS 1 PERCENT OF AMERICANS HAVE A SERIOUS GAMBLING PROBLEM, AND THOSE NUMBERS ARE INCREASING.
MCGUIGAN: "IT IS ALWAYS GOOD TO SHINE A LIGHT ON IT AND THE BEST WAY TO SHINE A LIGHT ON IT IS TO TALK TO ANOTHER HUMAN BEING ABOUT IT AND BE HONEST AS BEST YOU CAN. ALLOW THAT OTHER PERSON TO GUIDE YOU BACK TO SAFETY AND SANITY."
MCGUIGAN SAYS THAT IT IS NO DIFFERENT THAN ADDICTION TO ALCOHOL OR DRUGS. HE SAYS TO SEEK HELP, AND ADVISES JOIN A TREATMENT FACILITY OR.