'Millionaire' Contestant on Trial

By Stephen M. Silverman

09/16/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

A former contestant on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" -- who has written a book on how to get to be a player on the show -- is facing embezzling charges. Paul Barbour, 38, author of the soon-to-be-published "Who Wants to Be a Contestant" who appeared on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" yesterday, is scheduled to appear in a Syracuse, N.Y., courtroom on June 2. Barbour faces charges that two years ago he and a nurse defrauded an insurance company out of more than $190,000. The two allegedly authorized several payments to a fake medical services firm. If convicted, Barbour could face up to 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. "I'm just a good guy who didn't do anything wrong who's really getting screwed here," Barbour told the Syracuse Newspapers.