Losing money is one of the worst feelings on the planet, though having it stolen from you may add some insult to the injury- especially when it’s stolen by someone once deemed trustworthy, which is, unfortunately, the case for Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford, who had millions of dollars stolen from him by his former personal assistant, John Wright Martin.
Martin was hired by Pitchford back in 2014 with an annual salary $45,000. Then, a year later, Martin was given access to Pitchford’s American Express business accounts, which kicked off a multi-million dollar spending spree at Pitchford’s expense. During this spree, Martin bought everything from designer clothes and jewelry to a $519,000 house with custom finishes.
Martin also forged Pitchford's wife Kristy's name onto multiple business and personal checks totaling more than $73,000, which were then used to pay for multiple art pieces designed by one of his friends.
However, Martin didn’t use the money solely for selfish means. He also made tens of thousands of dollars worth of donations from the account to a variety of charities, as well as purchasing rounds of drinks for everyone at local bars, with one bill costing a staggering $657.
The Pitchford's eventually received notice that they didn't have enough money to make payroll for Kristy's Nerdvana business, which prompted them to contact Martin, who had stopped working for them in 2016 to pursue a career in interior design. Martin claimed that he had mixed up his own personal account with the Pitchford's and promised to repay the entire sum. The two parties signed a 6-page agreement that Martin would repay the funds, which the Pitchford's believed was only $768,000 at the time. Martin wrote the couple a check later that month for $598,000, but the check bounced.
Pitchford said that he wished the $768,000 was all there was, but the couple "keeps finding stuff" and he now believes the sum totals more than $3 million.
Martin has since gone missing, failing to complete his court-ordered community service and being absent from multiple check-ins with his supervision officer. Martin has had a warrant issued for his arrest for alleged auto theft after a $76,000 check he wrote for a new car bounced, which sounds like the worst wanted level increase GTA V cheat code ever.
Hopefully, the Gearbox CEO is able to get at least some of his money back. Having millions of dollars stolen is probably as stressful as game development itself, and there shouldn't be any distractions from Borderlands 3. All jokes aside, this is an awful situation, and Martin should quickly be brought to justice.
Source: Dallas News