One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Former San Diego Mayor Gambled $1 Billion Of Her Jack In The Box Fortune
San Diego's former beloved mayor and the wife of the late Jack In The Box's founder gambled $1 billion of her fortune on video poker over the course of a decade.
Maureen O'Connor, 66, was the mayor of San Diego from 1988 until 1992 and also the wife of the late fast food magnate Robert O. Peterson. From all accounts, she was a popular mayor. Reporters who covered her while she was in office called her a "goody two shoes" and said her only apparent vice during her time in office seemed to be occasionally sneaking away during the day to catch a movie, according to the New York Times.
But things went downhill for O'Connor after the death of her husband in 1994. She developed a gambling habit, and to fuel it, she liquidated her assets, took out second and even third mortgages on her properties and dug herself deep into debt. Her gambling landed her in court when she pilfered $2,088,000 from her late husband's foundation that supported local charities.
Her lawyer blames the epic spree on grief and a brain tumor that she had removed in 2011. He said that her behavior fit the syndrom known as "grief gambling," and the tumor only aggravated it by damaging parts of the brain that control reasoning and judgment. She told ABC 10 in San Diego that after the tumor was removed, she lost the desire to gamble. She says that the tumor made her feel like a different person.
O'Connor worked out a plea deal with prosecutors that allows her to avoid prison. She agreed to repay the money she took from the foundation and also to undergo treatment for her gambling habit, according to Reuters. If she meets the terms of the deal, the case will be dropped.
Reporters were not allowed into court, but O'Connor told reporters outside: "I will repay the loans. I always meant to."
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy called O'Connor a "selfless public official who contributed much to the well-being of San Diego." But she added: "No figure, regardless of how much good they've done or how much they've given to charity, can escape criminal liability with impunity."
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
