Man, 90, wins $4.4 million lottery

After winning $4.4 million, Oakville grandfather says he feels 'magnanimous'

DON PEAT

 SUN MEDIA

OAKVILLE -- This win was almost a century in the making.

Maurice Ducharme, 90, claimed a $4.4-million lottery prize Tuesday -- making him one of the oldest Lotto 6/49 winners in the game's history. But, not surprisingly, Ducharme told the Sun he's felt a whole lot younger since the win.

"I feel pretty young," he joked at his house yesterday. "It really helps you."

Shortly after quietly accepting the cheque for $4,448,017 in downtown Toronto, Ducharme went to the bank to cash the jackpot.

"It really felt good," he said. "It's hard to explain the feeling you get, it's magnanimous."

He learned of the win Sunday when he started checking the numbers he has played off and on since 6/49 started.

"I said to my son, Paul, 'I got it, I got it,' " Ducharme said, recalling the moment. "I've been trying for years but it never happened."

The Second World War veteran and retired Ford supervisor says he'll use his multi-millions to live a good life.

"I have been living a fair life so far," he said.

The Oakville father of four and grandfather of eight bought the winning ticket in town at the Hopegate Mall's Lottery Stop.

Although he plans to share the jackpot with his family there is one person he wishes he could share it with -- his wife, Pauline, who died two years ago.

"I miss her terribly," Ducharme said. "Especially at times like these."

With the winning draw happening on the same day as his late mother's birthday, he can't help but wonder if he got some heavenly help.

"I don't know if she had anything to do with it," Ducharme said. "Between her and my wife maybe they cooked something up."

The Windsor native was 22 when he went to war with the Canadian army. He spent five years fighting in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. He came back to Canada and worked as a supervisor at Ford in Windsor and Oakville.

Ducharme won't be quitting his day job -- he retired in 1975.

"Now I won't have to cut the grass or anything anymore," he chuckled.

He's got some travel under his belt but wants to ramp it up with trips to Barbados and Florida.

Ducharme, who still drives, may replace his car with a new Ford Mustang.

Despite the win, Ducharme found time to fit in one old habit. He headed down to the Lottery Stop to make sure he had his ticket for last night's draw. At his age, why worry about pushing your luck?

SUNMEDIA

Thief caught stealing from undercover police car for a second time

Thief was caught on camera as he stole a purse from an undercover police car - for the second time.

Sentencing Han to a six-week jail term plus the previously suspended 32-week sentence, Judge Simon Darwall-Smith branded him a "serial thief".

He said: "You are a serial thief, particularly from motor cars. The public deserves as much protection from your activities that the court is able to give.

"Individually the offence was relatively minor, but it's the quantity that makes it serious. Again and again and again you are committing offences against people's property."

Bristol Crown Court heard Han spotted the purse on the seat of the police owned, silver Peugeot 'honeypot' parked in Clifton, Bristol, on March 6.

Han forced the lock and pinched the £5 purse – unaware that it was part of a police sting and he was being filmed in perfect technicolour by a covert camera hidden inside the vehicle.

Avon and Somerset Police came up with its 'covert capture' cars after months of problems trying to crack increasing numbers of high-value thefts from cars.

The force took several normal cars and fitted them with tiny, high-quality cameras with a lens the size of a pinhead concealed around the dashboard.

The cars are now parked around the crime hot spots of Bristol in an attempt to nab the most prolific offenders.

Mark Hollier, prosecuting, said that on this occasion Han had only stolen the £5 purse and had left behind a TomTom sat nav system, cigarettes and a rucksack.

He said: "Police saw the door lock had been forced and the purse was missing. The DVD was viewed and it was as plain as day it was the defendant."

Han, of Bristol, has a string of previous convictions for stealing sat navs, both from covert police cars and private vehicles, as well as convictions for vehicle interference and an attempted theft of a car stereo.

Oliver Willmott, defending, said that Han was undergoing drug rehabilitation treatment and added: "This is a repeat offender but the value of the purse was low.

The New Haven Register

Lottery thief pays restitution, but victim says it’s not enough

Randall Beach

Register Staff

NEW HAVEN — One of three men charged with stealing up to $1 million in cash from a lottery jackpot winner in North Branford received a suspended five-year prison sentence Tuesday after he gave $175,000 in restitution checks to the victim.

But after the victim, Giuseppe Diglio, pulled the four checks out of the envelope given to him by Joseph Bernardo and verified they added up to the required amount, he told Superior Court Judge Richard A. Damiani, “He took a lot more money than he gave me.”

Diglio added, “I am very hurt.”

Damiani told Diglio, “I agree with you. With allegations of $1 million, it was a jail case.”

But Damiani said a problem developed verifying the stolen amount. “I used the figure of $350,000. Only you know how much was there. It’s tough to prove it in court,” he said.

Damiani added, “He’s getting a suspended sentence because he fulfilled his obligation to you” by paying restitution.

Damiani also told Diglio, “He’s moved to Arizona. He’s out of your life. He’s gone. If I were you, I’d say ‘Goodbye.’”

But Diglio said, “I went through a lot of aggravation. He knows how much money was there.” Holding up the checks, he said scornfully, “This is a Christmas gift.”

When given a chance to speak in the courtroom, Bernardo, 25, of East Haven, said, “I’m deeply sorry to Mr. Diglio and his family and anybody else affected.”

Last November, Bernardo pleaded no contest to first-degree larceny.

Under the terms of the three-year conditional discharge, Bernardo cannot violate any laws of Connecticut or any other state. In addition, every six months, he must send an affidavit to his attorney, Hugh F. Keefe of New Haven, affirming he has not been arrested for any offense.

Keefe said after adjournment he was glad Damiani did not impose probation, because it would have required Bernardo to stay in Connecticut until the case could be transferred to Arizona. Keefe said Bernardo has a job there and is “the only breadwinner” in the family.

The other defendants in the case, Raffaele Iuliano Sr., 45, and Raffaele Iuliano Jr., 19, of East Haven, are awaiting sentencing.

The Iulianos are Diglio’s son-in-law and grandson. Bernardo was a friend and neighbor of the Iulianos.

North Branford police said Diglio and his wife hit a lottery jackpot in 1986 and were keeping the winnings in a safe in their basement. According to police, the trio took the pins off the safe hinges and pried the door open.

Police said the theft occurred Nov. 5, 2007, while the Diglio family was celebrating a confirmation at Brazi’s Restaurant in New Haven. Police believe more money was taken on Thanksgiving Day of that year.

Diglio told police he didn’t notice the money was missing until Jan. 14, 2008.

Police and Diglio began to suspect the Iulianos were the thieves when the pair bought cars, houses and all-terrain vehicles. Iuliano Sr. reportedly also was spending a lot of time in casinos.

When police interviewed the Iulianos in the family home, officers noticed what seemed to be new flat-screen TVs and a laptop computer.

URL: http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2009/03/25/news/new_haven/a1_--_lottery_thief.prt

 Journal Register

HOLLIDAYSBURG— A western Pennsylvania county prison guard has been fired over a prank in which a new guard was locked in a cell with an inmate involved in a police shootout. Blair County officials didn't release the guards' names, but confirmed the incident after The Altoona Mirror received an anonymous report.

The report said the new guard was locked with the inmate for 20 minutes by a guard who wanted to see what the new hire was made of.

The inmate, accused of shooting at Altoona police in November, filed a complaint with the NAACP.

But Blair County Commissioner Terry Tomassetti said the new hire was the target, not the inmate.

Tomassetti says it was "just picking on a new employee," but still serious, and officials don't want it to happen again.

___

Information from: Altoona Mirror, http://www.altoonamirror.com

An Elgin man who told police his dream car was a red Nissan Altima with a push-button ignition, has been charged with attempting to steal one from a local car dealership, according to police reports.

Carliss D. Henderson, 21, of the first block of Seneca Street, on Monday was charged with burglary, a class two felony, and attempted theft, a class three felony.

According to a police report, Henderson at midnight Sunday made his way to the McGrath Nissan auto dealership on East Chicago Street, saw "his dream car" on the showroom floor and yanked one of the dealership's doors at least four times, breaking the lock.

Once inside, Henderson started the car, but couldn't find a way to get it out of the building, reports said.

Angered, he picked up a chair and threw it at the showroom window directly behind the 2009 car, reports said.

But when he put the car into reverse and tried driving backward through the broken window, the car wouldn't move, reports said.

Police discovered Henderson a short time later during routine patrols, reports said.

Police had already encountered Henderson twice that evening - once during a domestic dispute and again when he tried to force his way into a car at East Chicago Avenue and Spring Street, reports said. He does not face charges in either case, police say. In the latter, the owner of the car declined to press charges, police said.

Henderson's bond and court information were not available Monday.

If convicted of the most serious charge, he faces up to seven years in prison.

Joseph D'Amelio (Suffolk County D.A.)

DA: MIT cop made drug
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Last Edited: Saturday, 14 Mar 2009, 11:45 PM EDT
Created On: Saturday, 14 Mar 2009, 11:45 PM EDT