A Spring man who turned his employer’s credit card into a personal sports-betting lifeline is headed to federal prison after admitting he stole roughly $1.1 million to fuel an online gambling addiction.
U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. sentenced 34-year-old Donald Ray Owens Jr. to 24 months behind bars, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay more than $1 million in restitution. Prosecutors said Owens quietly ran up hundreds of transactions on a company card, disguising the thefts while his gambling habit spiraled.
Sentence, Plea and Restitution
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, Owens pleaded guilty on May 9, 2025, and returned to court Thursday to learn his fate.
The judge handed down a 24-month federal prison term, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Owens must also repay $1,081,722.96 to his employer, Dominion Aesthetics Technology Inc.
In court, Owens asked for leniency, telling the judge that what started as online sports wagering had become a full-blown addiction.
How Prosecutors Say the Scheme Worked
Prosecutors say Owens leaned on a company credit card for nearly two years, quietly using it about 217 times between May 2022 and January 2024.
According to the plea details, he routed charges through an online payment platform account opened in his wife’s name. From there, investigators say, the money flowed into bank accounts he controlled and into a personal gambling account, where it allegedly disappeared into online sports wagers.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas summarized the embezzlement scheme in a post on X from its official account, which linked to the full press release. The embedded post above shows the office’s announcement.
Investigation and Prosecution
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service led the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hileman handled the prosecution, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Owens was allowed to remain on bond and will voluntarily surrender to a Bureau of Prisons facility at a later date, which has not yet been set.
Problem Gambling and the Wider Trend
Experts have been warning that the easy access of mobile and online sports betting can turn a casual flutter into something far more dangerous, financially and otherwise.
A recent analysis in JAMA Internal Medicine found a sharp jump in sports wagers and overall online betting activity. Researchers linked those trends to higher rates of people seeking help and to increased gambling-related harm.
A Pattern in Recent Cases
Owens is hardly alone. Prosecutors around the country have been seeing variations of the same story, where workplace access meets mounting gambling losses.
In one similar case, a former property manager was sentenced after siphoning more than $2.1 million from business accounts to cover a gambling habit, as described in Cedar City property boss busted.
What Employers Should Watch For
The Owens case is a reminder that a single company card, left unchecked, can quietly bleed a business dry.
Experts recommend that small businesses and growing firms routinely audit corporate card use, require separate approval for vendor payments, and carefully reconcile statements to spot unusual activity early. Clear written policies, basic internal controls and regular spot checks can significantly reduce the window of opportunity for an employee to divert large sums over time.
