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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Former Colts quarterback Art Schlichter has been ordered to serve six more years in prison for violating his probation.
Marion Superior Court Judge Grant Hawkins issued the sentence Wednesday despite a plea by Schlichter's mother that her son should receive more rehabilitation for a gambling addiction instead of prison time.
Schlichter already was serving five years after pleading guilty in January to money laundering, forging securities and unauthorized use of credit cards. He said his gambling addiction played a major role in his involvement in the scam.
In April, six months were added to Schlichter's sentence for a misdemeanor charge of illegal gambling.
The judge on Wednesday added an additional six years and 254 days to Schlichter's sentence for violating probation from a 1997 conviction for forgery and theft.
Schlichter's mother, Mila Schlichter of Ohio, asked that her son be returned to a gambling addiction treatment center in Baltimore.
"How many times did Darryl Strawberry have relapses? How many times has Robert Downey Jr.?" she asked the judge, referring to celebrities who have had recurring drug problems.
She argued that gambling is as addictive as drugs, but doesn't have the same social recognition or empathy.
However, authorities said Schlichter has failed to take advantage of opportunities for treatment.
Deputy Prosecutor Lawrence Brodeur called Schlichter a "confidence thief" who relied in part on his status as a former professional athlete to persuade victims to provide him with substantial amounts of money.
Schlichter was a first-round draft pick by the Baltimore Colts in 1982. He was suspended the next year by the NFL for gambling, and in 1984 he rejoined the Colts, who by then had relocated to Indianapolis. They let him go a year later.
Marion Superior Court Judge Grant Hawkins issued the sentence Wednesday despite a plea by Schlichter's mother that her son should receive more rehabilitation for a gambling addiction instead of prison time.
Schlichter already was serving five years after pleading guilty in January to money laundering, forging securities and unauthorized use of credit cards. He said his gambling addiction played a major role in his involvement in the scam.
In April, six months were added to Schlichter's sentence for a misdemeanor charge of illegal gambling.
The judge on Wednesday added an additional six years and 254 days to Schlichter's sentence for violating probation from a 1997 conviction for forgery and theft.
Schlichter's mother, Mila Schlichter of Ohio, asked that her son be returned to a gambling addiction treatment center in Baltimore.
"How many times did Darryl Strawberry have relapses? How many times has Robert Downey Jr.?" she asked the judge, referring to celebrities who have had recurring drug problems.
She argued that gambling is as addictive as drugs, but doesn't have the same social recognition or empathy.
However, authorities said Schlichter has failed to take advantage of opportunities for treatment.
Deputy Prosecutor Lawrence Brodeur called Schlichter a "confidence thief" who relied in part on his status as a former professional athlete to persuade victims to provide him with substantial amounts of money.
Schlichter was a first-round draft pick by the Baltimore Colts in 1982. He was suspended the next year by the NFL for gambling, and in 1984 he rejoined the Colts, who by then had relocated to Indianapolis. They let him go a year later.
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