Sixty-seven year old Pawcatuck resident George Flynn was sentenced to two years in prison today for embezzling $45,000 from a disabled friend over a seven-year period, telling the victim he was making payments into a "lottery account" that would make him rich.

Flynn, a white haired man with a hunched posture, turned to the victim, Arthur Davoll Jr., and said, "I’m sorry Arthur. I’m truly sorry," before New London Judge Susan B. Handy imposed the sentence.

The two men had met at Foxwoods Resort Casino, where they both worked, in 1993. Over a seven-year period, Flynn had posed as "Dad" in phone calls to Davoll, convincing him to give Flynn the money to invest in the lottery account. Davoll gave Flynn access to his bank account, and Flynn routinely took $250 or $300 from Davoll’s paychecks. Davoll went to Norwich police in 2008 after his bank accounts had been depleted.

According to attorney Peter E. Scillieri, Flynn, who collected disability due to an alcohol problem, had spent the money on lottery tickets. Scillieri said that while his client had done wrong over an extended period of time, in a way, he, too, had been swindled.

"The odds (of winning the lottery) are like walking out of your house and getting struck by lightning seven times in a row, but the state has no problem promoting it," Scillieri said.
Handy told Flynn she has no problem with people playing the lottery, "as long as they’re spending their own money."

She sentenced Flynn to five years in prison, suspended after two years served, and five years probation. She ordered Flynn to make full restitution while acknowledging he probably would be unable to pay back "a dime" of the stolen funds. She prohibited him from playing the lottery or going to casinos and ordered him to undergo problem-gambling treatment.