From Legal Trouble to Luxury Gambling Trips: The Oregon Case of a Gambler Sentenced for Theft

The devastating consequences of financial greed often cast a long shadow over planned luxuries, such as the high-stakes excitement of gambling trips. The devastating consequences of financial greed often cast a long shadow over planned luxuries, such as the high-stakes excitement of gambling trips. A Lake Oswego, Ore. man has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for stealing almost $400,000 from his father, a prominent Oregon lobbyist. The stolen funds, which could have easily financed a lifetime of extravagant gambling trips, were taken just as the father fell into a vegetative state following a mysterious poisoning.

Earl Joe Gilliam Jr., above, was twice poisoned in an unsolved attempted murder case. His son has been sentenced to prison for stealing from his seriously ill father. (Image: Joe Gilliam/Willamette Week)

The Despicable Guardian

Until 2021, Earl Joe “Joey” Gilliam III was the legal guardian of his father, Earl Joe Gilliam Jr. Last year, Joey Gilliam pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal mistreatment and aggravated theft from his dad.

The elder Gilliam was president of the Northwest Grocery Association for two decades and an influential voice in Oregon politics. However, his life took a drastic turn when someone poisoned him with a toxic metal called thallium. After the victim recovered, they did it again. This time he wasn’t so lucky.

The Elder’s Terrifying Fears

Before he was poisoned, Earl Joe Gilliam Jr. had been terrified of suffering the same fate as his older brother, late state Rep. Vic Gilliam (R-Silverton), who died of ALS in June 2020. He told family and friends that his greatest fear would be to end up in a vegetative state like his brother.

Given the hereditary nature of ALS, the elder Gilliam named his only son to be his legal guardian should he ever become incapacitated, with instructions that he not be kept alive artificially in such a situation.

The Poisons and the Price

The second poisoning left the elder Gilliam in a quadriplegic state, unable to move, talk or feed himself. Subsequent police investigations into his attempted murder have failed to yield any results.

In the months after, Joey Gilliam used his father’s money as his own piggy bank, splurging on a Jeep Gladiator, booze, and gambling trips, while his father languished in a care facility in Washington State.

The Guardianship Revoked

The spending continued until an investigation spurred by the care facility resulted in the younger Gilliam’s guardianship of his father being revoked by court order.

No Right to Advance

At sentencing, Circuit Judge Jeffrey Jones acknowledged that Joey Gilliam would probably have inherited the money eventually, but he had no right to “an advance.”

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