This is very old news... from 2009 in fact.
But, I am wondering if this lawsuit was resolved. Anybody know??
Inmate Sues, Claims "NASCAR Made Me Do It"
By
M Brian Ladner
March 1, 2009
In the "How NASCAR Changed My Life" department, a federal prison inmate has filed a $23 million lawsuit claiming that NASCAR is responsible for his criminal waysfelonies ranging from speeding to credit card fraud.
According to an article by Larry Woody, serial litigator and prisoner Jonathan Lee Riches has once again filed suit in U.S. District Court, this time in Richmond, Va.
Riches' latest lawsuitone of hundreds to datestates that watching NASCAR races, "influenced him to speed...doing 135 mph and getting tickets."
Not only did NASCAR influence him to speed, but NASCAR addiction drove him further into a life of crime by pushing him to use illegally obtained credit cards to support his habit.
"I used (Kyle) Petty's Discover Card to buy Mark Martin Viagra," according to the complaint, obviously a little out of touch with the times (Viagra hasn't sponsored Martin since the end of the 2005 season).
His NASCAR addiction led him to buy race tickets using credit cards he knew to be fraudulent, "but the defendants insisted they did not care and encouraged me to buy Budweiser beer and funnel cake with more stolen funds."
Finally, he claims that Jeff Gordon's DuPont-sponsored car, "poisoned me with DuPont chemicals. I pray this court will grant my motions for relief. I don't want to die in prison."
This is not the first time Riches has filed suit against a member of the NASCAR community, according to a summary on Justia.com.
On Sept. 12, 2007, Riches sued Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports, alleging that, "Gordon conspired with Barry Bonds, Michael Vick and others to drive his life insane, create madness in the world, and use the No. 24 as a weapon of mass destruction."
He further alleged that Gordon, "tied him to the bumper during the Talladega race, took KITT from Night Rider, used his No. 24 car in illegal car fights at Jiffy Lube Express, and used the No. 24 to hit Juan Valdez's horse."
In that case, Riches was seeking "a preliminary injunction to prevent defendant from driving off without paying at Sunoco stations."
That case was dismissed eight days later.
--
"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:02:07PM