Claims he let boss claim lottery jackpot to avoid being discovered; then gets discovered when he threatened boss
Includes video report
A Georgia man who was jailed for threatening his boss over a disputed $750,000 lottery ticket faces deportation, with authorities saying he is in the U.S. illegally.
Police say Jose Antonio Cua-Toc threatened his boss, Erick Cervantes, and his wife, calling them repeatedly and saying he would "kill each of them and their children if they did not give him some of the lottery winnings," according to local newspaper The Sun News.
Cua-Toc's attorney denied the allegations Wednesday on MSNBC-TV.
"Mr. Cervantes has 750,000 reasons to say these things. They haven't been proven," Julio Moreno said.
Cua-Toc, 25, says he is the one who bought the winning lottery ticket and that Cervantes, 31, cashed the ticket on his behalf but failed to give him the winnings. Unsure whether his immigration status would affect his chance to cash in, Cua-Toc had held off on turning in the ticket himself.
"Current immigration laws in the state of Georgia and in the U.S. made him afraid to go in by himself. He had a friend that was going to be trusted to go with him, but unfortunately he couldn't make it in time," Moreno told MSNBC. "Before he was able to make it, the employer showed up. He was able to cash that ticket."
To cash a lottery ticket, a winner must show ID and provide a signature. Lottery officials say they don't verify immigration status.
But Cua-Toc didn't know that, his attorney said.
"Had he known, he could have probably gone by himself to cash it, but he didn't," Moreno said.
Three months after his arrest, Cua-Toc filed a civil lawsuit against his boss to recoup the lottery proceeds.
In a surveillance video played during a hearing in March, Cua-Toc is seen in OM Food Mart on Nov. 17, 2010, buying chips, beer, a phone and lottery tickets, The Sun News reported.
The tape shows him returning to the store later that evening and showing employees the ticket. He can be seen smiling excitedly and raising his hands in the air.
"There's surveillance evidence," Moreno told MSNBC. "He went in; you see him celebrating when he comes in a hour later with his girlfriend. There were three witnesses."
Cua-Toc reportedly testified in the hearing that Cervantes encouraged him to go to the lottery office but then cashed the ticket himself, saying he would give him all the winnings.
But Cervantes' lawyer, Kelly Burke, said the two men had planned to split the money evenly.
In a statement, Burke said, "Mr. Cua-Toc was generously rewarded for his role in picking out the ticket, but that is all he is going to get."
Cua-Toc's attorney did not provide any details on how the money was split.
The winnings are currently frozen, and a Georgia judge will decide who the rightful owner is.
Meantime, a judge has ordered Cua-Toc to leave the U.S. voluntarily by September 6. If he does not comply, he will be deported and not allowed to return for 10 years, local news channel WMAZ said.
Thanks to hearsetrax for the tip.
Obama to the Rescue!
idiots on both sides
the video showing alien buyin the ticket, and partying, is worth proof he real winner
but thinking he can stay in usa while claiming money
he could of claimed the money. their no law agiant aliens winnings.......
he just wanted the money and "right" to stay here atfer being discovered. he got greedy, and paid the price
he want to hes boss, who no doubt look down on aliens, taken the money, and ran, aka if he speaks out he be deported was logic no doubt.
so we have a theft on 1 end"boss" and a idiot on the other "alien" who wanted to stay here
just a note, if your a tourist to usa, feel free to buy lottery tickets, you can claim them just like any of us living here
just you better be gone by time limits of your greencard visa, or other passport agreement time limit
we deport people who didn't go thro the legal channels to be here.
as people who are not coming the legal way in ,aka they sneak in and are all criminals, and they don't give a flip about right and wrong, their evil leech's of hard working tax payers
but that's just my thinking thro, the dems think ever outlaw"alien" is a victim of some sort and belong in usa with us paying for their kids learning. food. you name it
am rofl at this alien trying to stay here and failed cease of hes own Greed
That illegal alien is a fool. He should have claimed his money, paid uncle Sam back taxes and associated fines for being an illegal and would have been allowed to stay on. Now he might get his money but he will be going to jail -on our dollars!
, and uncle Sam might clamp down on most of the money. Serves him right if you ask me.
+1
well they both was in on it split it.~its better then nonthing. he still a human / he might was goin to stay and spend the winning here.
this what happend when you trust a hillbilly to cash your lottery winnings.
hope the real winner get the rights to get his winnings.
Hasn't Cervantes ever heard of karma? How deceiptful! How low!
know thats friggin funny lol.
yup uh huh yup!
Greed is the moral of the story kids. Study hard, work hard, and when you get the chance steal! hehe j/k but in this story it is for real.
No way Jose.Get the illegals out of here.Jose should not have been here in the first place.Go home Jose.That $750,000 should go to the U.S. Border Patrol to secure our borders.
What a bunch of ignorant haters. We are ALL human and should be allowed to inhabit the planet without restriction. "Illegals" only have to pay 35% total in FL to cliam their prizes....Good for them!!
Since he came here to make money, I am sure he would be content with 65% of $750,000.00 and he would leave here happily. Illegal aliens are still human beings....this treatment except with the deportation part reminds me of how blacks used to be treated in the US. Work the heck out of them and steal their money. This country just thrives on racisim and greed.
LoL
There is a minor difference between blacks and hispanics...some blacks came as free people and immigrated "legally" to the US. Others were brought over on slave ships involuntarily. Cubanos take advantage of the political situation and as long as they physically touch US soil, they are granted asylum even though many are merely coming for economic reasons, not political. And mexicans and other central americans pay smugglers to guide them over the US-Mexico border...coming in illegally. Black slaves were never "illegal aliens". Without black slave labor, America and Europe would not be the prosperous countries they currently are. But back to the subject.
This is merely a case of dumb and dumber. The illegal was dumb for trying to "get around" his illegal status. I think I would have rather taken the chance of claiming the money, and even if I got hemmed in and ordered to leave the country, at least I would have done so $750,000 (minus taxes of course) richer. But no, dumb dude trusted dumber dude who perhaps forgot about the video surveillance.
Never, never, never, get a 'friend' or work colleague to cash a lottery ticket. If for some reason you are unable to do it your self, get a reputable lawyer to do it for you, and have an agreement in writing. What is it about lottery prizes that turns people into trusting fools?
"IT'S NO FUN BEING AN ILLEGAL ALIENNNN!!" Have to agree with Ol School Pa on this one! A lil research would have save this guy a whole lot of heart ache. But he was understandbly scared because of his alien status.
"You earn a living by what you make, You make a LIFE by what you give!
Sir Winston Churchill
OK, but you support all those people who should be allowed to "inhabit the planet" wherever they want to, ok?
Move them into your house and your area and you feed em.
It's your idea, you do it.
And don't ask or expect us to help you.
How about it, numbnuts?
"This country just thrives on racisim and greed."
Yeah, and this coming from the lady who celebrated OJ getting away with murder solely because his two victims were white.
You said it was "about time we got one" if I recall.
You got no room to talk about racism.
You thrive on it as much as anybody.
And if you don't like the country, there's no law against leaving.
Hey surimaribo, you can trust me to cash your ticket my friend!
And if you can show me a hillbilly named Cervantes, I'll come up to NYC and buy you a drink and give you a Daniel Webster ceegar!
A reputable lawyer? What's that? Never heard of it.
yeah Lot of bible fame had a choice for his task,. either find 10 honest men or " A reputable lawyer"
he wizely chose the 10 honest men.
Very funny rdgrnr ! Thanks for that great comic image. I am still laughing this morning.
Cervantes the hillbilly ? LOL
I pictured someone like Don Quixote in overalls .......with a yellow number #2 pencil in his pocket and chewing on a straw. LOL
Miguel de Cervantes (1547 - 1616) .........and Famous Spanish Hillbilly !
hahahhaha i knew rd you would catch this one . not a lot of lp has the sense of humour like you got men . u know ur comments always make me craking.
Sadly
Go tell that to Hugo Chavez, let us know if their going to sell tickets to your beheading?
Oh and one more observation, the fact your name calling, also makes you an ignorant hater, or didn't you notice that.
No, it is not okay to sneak into this country, and freeload off the backs of the working class. Let's not forget what it costs American citizens when , police, fire and other emergency services are clogged up with gang violence from illegal gangs.
House fire after house fire in Detroit because the illegals are hooking up electricity illegally and setting the house they squatted in on fire.
Let us not forget most of the people sneaking in have not been immunized, polio is making a comeback, thank you very much.
Oh and you can spare me the your a racist argument and we are all immigrants,
I'm Chippewa Indian, and not once have I taken a handout from a stinking government that once tried to exterminate us, I will not be bought with scraps of food from the government table of corruption.
If you bleeding hearts cared all that MUCH ABOUT THE PLIGHT OF ILLEGALS, YOU WOULD SPEAK LOUDER ABOUT THE HORRIBLE CONDITIONS OF THE COUNTRIES THEY LEFT, AND NOT STICK THAT PILE OF BULL <snip> ON MY BACK.maybe you should blame the leaders of these countries, that do little or nothing to take care of their own people.
Your bashing this guy for being a illegal alien, but your not bashing his boss. If you read the article, his boss is quite the low life. His friend was going to be late and in slips his boss, how amazing is this! What did the boss do tell the friend of the this guy, Oh don't worry I'll go and sign for him, you don't have to show up just call him tell him you can't make it. That's what it sounds like to me and he slithers in there to sign the ticket all the while knowing he wasn't going to give this guy one red-cent of his money. If anyone should go to jail it'should be the boss and his sleazy wife. They knew a good deal and a fast $750,000.00 free ticket and screw the employee / illegal alien. Now the employer should get in trouble for hiring illegal aliens. I thought they were going to crack down on employers that were hiring illegal aliens and not reporting them? So this Calavante is a bigger Sleaze bag than the illegal alien, he just didn't have the guts to call the store and ask a general question that if a person wasn't a legal citizen of the USA could they still cash a winning ticket? and what would they need to cash it.
Yep they are both sleaze bags.