ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The winner of the $500,000 Alaska lottery to benefit a nonprofit that aids victims of sexual abuse is himself a convicted sex offender.
Alec Ahsoak, 53, came forward to claim his winnings on Saturday, said lottery organizer Abe Spicola, who owns Lucky Times Pull Tabs in Anchorage.
"He said he was going to buy a house and said he was going to donate part of it to God, and you know charity," Spicola said.
Specifically, Ahsoak said he planned to give $100,000 of the jackpot to Standing Together Against Rape, which paired up with Lucky Times to conduct the lottery, Spicola said.
Ahsoak was convicted of two counts of sexual abuse of a minor in 1993, and once again in 2000, according to the state's sex offender registry and first reported Saturday evening by KTUU, Channel 2.
Promoters billed the jackpot as the largest in state history. They drew the winning ticket Friday night, but the winner remained a mystery.
Saturday afternoon, a KTUU news crew stopped by the Lucky Times pull tab parlor to follow up on the story. The business was closed, said KTUU anchor Jill Burke.
But, she said, "As we were there, a man flagged us down and said, 'Hey, I think I'm the winner.' "
It was Ahsoak, who showed the station his winning ticket. Later, the station received an e-mail — Burke declined to say who sent it — noting that Ahsoak was listed as a sex offender.
Ahsoak told the station that he's worked hard to turn his life around, has been in treatment for the past year and wanted to use part of his winnings to help others, KTUU reported. He told the station he was raised in foster homes and at the Jesse Lee Home for Children in Seward.
Spicola said he called Ahsoak when he heard about his "checkered past" and said that if he was going to donate to a charity, he should consider STAR.
In that phone conversation, Ahsoak talked about donating $50,000 to STAR, then upped the number to $100,000, Spicola said.
"He said that God would want him to do that," Spicola said.
Becky Beck, of Anchorage, serves on the STAR board.
"What I hope doesn't happen is the results negatively flavor the intention of the lottery," Beck said.
"We struggle so hard to raise funds to do the work, to do STAR's mission. Our goal was to raise funds so that we could better assist those victims of sexual assault."
Another board member, former Anchorage state Rep. Eric Croft, learned of the lottery winner's legal history Saturday night.
"I think what it highlights is how prevalent this crime is," he said. "And we don't mind taking money from anybody to help victims of sexual assault, and we hope that he'll follow through on his commitment to give some of it back."
It was unclear Saturday exactly how much STAR's share of the lottery would be, Spicola said.
Spicola has estimated ticket sales approached 150,000 at $5 each. Lotteries and raffles can only be held in Alaska for charity, and STAR must get at least 10 percent of what's left after the prize is paid.
Ahsoak received $350,000 rather than $500,000 because organizers must withhold federal taxes, Spicola said.
Organizers plan to start selling tickets for the next lottery — to be held in July — later this month. The payout for that drawing is expected to be $250,000 to $500,000, Spicola said.
Alec Ahsoak collected his $500,000 winnings Saturday at Lucky Times Pull Tabs.
Ahsoak has three convictions for sexual abuse of a minor 2 on his record.
Gongrats to the lucky winner! Plus he is helping those less fortunate than him. I'm glad he is turning his life around. Way to go!
Whao, very good idea didn't even know such a thing existed...But at the rate the world is going psychologically more people will become raped victims without even knowing it...I believe such lottery should exist, but the thing is the real hardcore rape cases will be flooded by victims that are not telling the truth, or may just had been kissed in the butt or who knows what and the real victims will not win....
I am assuming you are telling me that raped people are the winners of the jackpot...I didn't read the whole thing dont have time to read all that...
Not saying they shouldn't have a lottery that cators to raped victims but if they are going to have that they should also have lotteries catored to disabled people and i mean real disabled people [like the people that participate on paraolympics] and they should also have a lottery catored to battered wives, because one of these [disabled people] are more severe than sexually assaulted and the other is also as bad as been raped...And there are more stuff to add too....
correct about the train...
i don't have nothing against raped victims but i just want to show the weigh of who suffers more...Suppose a guy whoever took a women and had sex with her, is wrong and he should go to jail...But what about the people that pick up thrash have no teeth, are homeless, etc...Who suffers more? they both suffer equally just that in this world they'll take care of the raped victim and i bet if she was homeless she will get a house, but what about those people that don't get nothing that live in the slums [didn't say gethoe i said slums]....And living in the slums last decades and decades....and the raped victim don't act like is the end of the world for christ out loud you are a women...What about the countless women out there that cross the sahara and have no teeth...all i am saying if you are going to take care of one problem you should take care of the other too...
You obviously don't have children or have never been a victim of rape. This man can NEVER turn his life around. He's been convicted 3 times of sexual abuse of a minor. That's 2 times too much. He should have been exterminated the first time he took a child's innocence away. John Couey, who raped & buried little Jessica Lunsford alive clutching onto her teddy bear, had also turned his life around after committing child abuse. People like this do not change. They are wired wrong.
One thing is for sure: it demonstrated that the drawing was truly random.
But what about the people that pick up thrash have no teeth, are homeless, etc...Who suffers more? they both suffer equally just that in this world they'll take care of the raped victim
You are saying that people who work for Waste Management companies are equal to women who have been raped. You are unbelievable.
not pick up thrash i am talking about people that pick up cans...Anyways you wouldn't understand...
the only thing to me equaled to picking up cans on the streets and homeless is prostitution and even so prostitution is doubtful...
Also that's one flaw with the lottery is TOO RANDOM and it can't read hearts and know who suffer the most and make them a winner...It will not repay but is meant as console...[isn't that what they do nowadays anyways]....
suppose a guy went out there and raped a women, what does he get? the death penalty...You wait 10 more years and go to that same women and offer her 100 million dollars as a total stranger to sleep with her and she will say yes [some will say no because not everyone is the same but just to proove a point]...Anyone will say yes to 100 million dollars including males...
anyways i don't want to continue talking about this, i am suppose to be talking about lottery...
Anyways, more important than this is that NASA gets a 10 trillion or 15 trillion or 20 trillion dollar budget each year...The cure to the world's diseases...And that a guy pay instead of child support pays a monthly payment until the kid turns 18 and is put in some kind of fund so that the kids when he/she is 18 or 21 is taken cared for life [as it is in my blog] sorry it sounds to crazy but that's what i believe...[daddy holding his little girl's hand]...If you are so concern this will cause less prostitution, it will not just cause less prostitution but it will almost totally eliminate prostitution from the streets...Again since you are so concern...
that's it i am not talking more about this subject...
I have to agree with you according to the stats most sex offenders repeat and repeat. Now if he was to get chemically/physically castrated then I'll believe him. I also believe once is one too many. Castrate them all.
I don't understand why child molesters aren't put away for life for their first offense.They always re-offend.I know a guy that molested a child in the early 60's and was sent to prison.He got out and molested another child in the late 70's and was sent back to prison.He got out again and molested his own son in the mid-90's.This time they sent him away for so long that he'll be way over 100 years old if he lives long enough to get out.At least two children might have had a normal childhood if they had just locked him up and threw away the key back in the sixties.
Having said that,I hope this Alaskan pervert chokes on his winnings!
Wrong. The annual budget for NASA is miniscule comparing to entire budget for the US government.
Castration actually won't help him or anyone like him stop their behavior. These types of people really are wired wrong in their brain. They would be better serviced by a neurologist than a sharp knife and some lye. Now, poor wiring is certainly no excuse for his behavior because 99.99% of these people know they are doing the wrong thing...all I'm saying is castration won't help him and he's more likely than not, going to repeat his past behavior...which unfortunately isn't as random as the lottery he won.
Yep.
I disagree. The inability to get it up WILL prevent him to not commit the crime at least in that respect.
How could you possibly know? The article only says that he was convicted of "abusing a minor." That's nothing more than a generic legal term that tells us he and a minor had some kind of encounter that was deemed to be of a sexual nature. He could have had consensual intercourse with a "minor" who was one week shy of turning 18, or he could have forcibly raped a minor of any age. In that case, chemical castration could prevent him from repeating that specific offense. OTOH, he could have exposed himself, fondled a minor of any age, performed oral sex or done any number of things that require a functioning organ between his ears, but require nothing between his legs. The problem with applying simplistic cookie cutter solutions is that they only solve a few of the problems they're aimed at.
I am assuming you are telling me that raped people are the winners of the jackpot...I didn't read the whole thing dont have time to read all that...
_______________________________________________________________________________
The lottery benefited victims of rape, article did not say the winners are rape victims. the random drawing was won by a sex assault offender. Castration shouldl have been his fate after his first victim.
I wish his victims could sue him for compensation that may cover 1/10 of the amount they may spend toward counseling and healing for the rest of their lives.
When I first read this post my first reaction was, "That you have to be kidding me?" This is truly IRONIC!, It just shows that God has no respect of person. I am in no way defending his actions, but he did enter the drawing and had every right to win the jackpot as anyone else. I remember a guy in Florida named Edward R. Cowal who is also a convicted sex offender who won a 14 million dollar jackpot back in Jan of 2007. In an odd twist it does bring a lot more awareness to sex abuse victims and now millions of people know that Alec Ahsoac is a sex offender. I agree that people like this usually don't change but they were still able to raise money for awareness and if Mr. Ahsoac stays true to his word they will benefit more.
Good story to kick off the new year!
Facts don't seem to agree with your statement.
Recidivism
Bureau of Justice Statistics Criminal Offenders Statistics:
http://www.ojp.gov/bjs/crimoff.htm
The above, is not a statement about this individual guy that won this lottery. Nor am I sticking up for sex offenders in general. Just like other ex-cons that won lotteries, this guy bought a ticket and he got lucky.
I don't understand why child molesters aren't put away for life for their first offense
Because there has to be plenty of room in prisons for people who smoke pot or do other drugs. Besides, what a person chooses to put into his own body is wayyyyy worse than voilating children, right?
You are trying to make it sound like people who do drugs only hurts the drug user and if that were the case you might have had a point. But you don't.
Last Christmas my boss's son's family was murdered because a drug addict came to their door asking for money so he could get some more drugs. They told him to leave, he murdered the father and mother and left the 3 year old child in the house by herself after doing so. If it hadn't been done on Christmas eve there is no telling how long the little girl would have been in the house alone with the corpses of her parents. When they caught the killer they ask him why he did it, he said he needed to get high and they wouldn't help him. No matter how you cut it, there is no innocent spin you can put on it.
I don't very often agree with KYFloyd, but this time I have to totally agree with him. There is nothing specific about his charges for anyone to cement their comments. Before you actually hang this guy from the highest tree, find out exactly what he was convicted of...!
IF his conviction was of the lessor type, such as flashing a minor he deserves, and needs help, no different than someone who cross-dresses. IF his charges were other than those, than he needs to be behind bars so he can't hurt anyone else, and he can have his " Breakfast " in bed while he is there.
All of us have made mistakes in our lives, and some have even compounded the mistakes we've made, maybe not of the same nature as HE, but nonetheless we're guilty. So, before you go and cut off this guys B*&&$ , Find out for sure, then come back and REAM him a new A$$@#@#.
Wasn't there a Woman who seduced a 12 year old boy who was in her classroom, and then after some jail time came back and had a Reallity wedding????
IF his conviction was of the lessor type, such as flashing a minor he deserves, and needs help, no different than someone who cross-dresses.
What don't people here understand about the word "REPEAT?" The man was convicted 3 times!
"Ahsoak has three convictions for sexual abuse of a minor 2 on his record."
I don't feel like elaborating too much, because I might say something I shouldn't. However, when there's a news article about a lottery scam, everyone always says that the thieves should be shot. We even complain about people scratching at the counter!
Yet when a child or woman gets raped, the same people make up excuses to defend the perpetrator. What does this say about our society? These comments show why most women still won't come forward when they're sexually assaulted. They're afraid that someone like True Critic or Maddog will be on the police force or the jury. They're afraid a judge will say "she wanted it" even though she was screaming & begging. Or maybe she liked "rough sex" which is why she had a black eye and bruises all over her body.
A victim of a car theft is treated with more dignity and respect than a victim of sexual assault.
EDIT: Note the word "minor" He will be 54 this month. He was convicted in 1993 and in 2000.
KY Floyd writes:
"He could have had consensual intercourse with a "minor" who was one week shy of turning 18.."
No, he couldn't have. If she was 17, he would not have been charged with sexual abuse of a minor 2. This is the law in Alaska. The minor had to be 15 or younger.
Any person who is 16 years old or older who has sexual intercourse with a minor who is 13-, 14-, or 15-years-old will be charged with sexual abuse of a minor in the second degree. Again, this charge is also a felony.
In this day & age,very few people are sent to prison for "smoking pot or doing other drugs".On the other hand prisons are full of people that were convicted for DEALING drugs.I have absolutely NO PROBLEM with drug dealers rotting in prison,as a matter of fact, I think ALL drug dealers should be in prison for life.However,this thread IS NOT about drug use,its about a convicted child molester winning a jackpot.I feel that when someone molests a child he forfiets his right to live in free society.I'm a firm believer in one strike and you are out when it comes to child molesters.You might convince yourself that these sick s.o.b.'s can change but you will never convince me.Or the millions of children that are molested each year in America.
JX,
Where in my comments do you see that I defend this perpetrator ??? What do you mean ," These comments".???
Since your being so boisterous with your words, Tell me what was He convicted of?? (3) times, (2) of these on record.
Don'y just pull out an excerp from my comment, read the whole thing. What you need to do is THINK, before you put your tounge into action.
A drunk driver who has been convicted of DWI twice, goes out and drinks himself silly and then drives and kills a family of four, then goes to jail for manslaughter. You would be the first to say, the man has been convicted 3 times, the word THERE is repeat...!
As I've said, read my W H O L E comment and then use me as a whipping post. I do NOT judge anyone until I have the complete facts.
"A victim of a car theft is treated with more dignity and respect than a victim of sexual assault."
Could this be because it's so easy to point a finger, rather than be truthful??
I DO NOT condone anyone who abuses a woman or child. But I won't condemn anyone until I have the facts straight......
My comments in no way have anything to do with your comment of someone being afraid they'll get someone like me on the Jury.. If my comments say that to you, you've got issues, not problems...!
I only posted factual data to correct the false belief that they, "sex offenders repeat and repeat."
They repeat less than the general population of the prison. I only found the data. If you feel the Bureau of Justice doesn't share your opinion of how the statistics should read for sex offenders, please send your corrected figures to the US Government.
mailto:askbjs@usdoj.gov
Society and policy makers have long struggled with finding effective ways to protect the public from sex offenders. A sex offender is a person who has been convicted of certain sex offense crimes. Examples of sex offenses include:
Most offenses involving criminal sexual conduct fall within the jurisdiction of state law, but federal law also includes a number of sexual offenses. The offenses are found in Title 18 of the United States Code. Some of the federal offenses specifically apply to sexual offenses committed within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States or in a federal prison. Other crimes involve offenders who cross state or international borders to commit, or in the commission, of a sexual offense. For example, 18 U.S.C. section 2251 makes it illegal to knowingly print, publish, or cause to be made, "any notice or advertisement seeking or offering to receive, exchange, buy, produce, display, distribute, or reproduce any visual depiction involving the use of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. This statute also applies when such person knows that such notice or advertisement will be, or has been, transported in interstate or foreign commerce by any means, including by computer."
Sorry, but it wasn't the drugs that made the guy commit murder. He wanted money, and what he wanted to spend it on is irrelevant. If they had been killed in a carjacking there's not a chance in hell that anybody would blame it on cars. The problem is that some people can't get what they want and will therefore try to take it. When gas got close to $4 a gallon the number of drive offs at gas stations went up.
The majority of the problems with drug use are either created or exacerbated because the drugs are illegal. If the price of drugs is artificially inflated tenfold because they're illegal, it will take 10 times as much money to buy them. For problem users the amount of money required becomes significant, so it's no wonder that many turn to crime to fund their usage.
The real crime is that we don't have any opportunity to collect any real tax revenue from the huge economy created by illegal drugs, but we hemorage cash fighting the war on drugs. If people were smart enough to have learned from the failed social experiment of prohibition, drugs would be legal and regulated (and taxed), as we do with alcohol, tobacco and firearms.
I think most people's point of view would change when it happens to them personally or to someone they love or are close to. If you have been a victim then your point of view would defintely be a lot different in most cases.
To me no sex abuse is minor. Especially if it involves children.
Floyd,
I realize your sole purpose on this board is to play devil's advocate. I have never seen a post of yours that wasn't meant to counter any line of thinking that was considered normal by the masses. You are here to cause as much upheaval as possible. We get it. It's your thing.
Drugs, as well as alcohol, alter people's perceptions of what is right and wrong. They make people do things (to themselves and others) they would not normally do unimpaired. The killer, in his altered state, walks up to a house in broad daylight and ask for drug money thinking that it's Christmas time and they will give him some. He stated, he told them it was for drugs. Does that sounds like what someone unimpaired would do? (rhetorical)
If a person feels that their life needs a temporary escape or needs to be viewed from an altered state, then all I can say to that is that they need to reevaluate what in their life needs to be changed so they don't have to avoid the reality of their life now and become happier a person in the long run. I'm not preaching, it is just a statement meant to be helpful.
Thank you for sharing that point of view, if you believe it or not.
I will not be replying to any other remarks from you concerning this matter knowing it would be an exercise in futility, not to mention off topic as well.
yes,>yes,>:::::::::::::::
>>>>>>>>we ALL AGREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LET'sssssssssssSEND a team of JACKASS'sssssss^^^^^^^^^DARE^^^!
UP^^^^^^^^^DARE 2 HELP>>>>>>investigate if this winner^^^?!
is a DEMO or a REPUG???????????????????????????????????????!!!!!!!!!
IF he is a REPUG>>>>>>>>>>>>>>!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LET's ALL ASK D gov of ALASKA >>>>SARA PALEN:
PLEASE hang dis guy by D ball's on the TV drawing's of JACKPOT$$$
BUT, & we ALL know their is alway's a BUTT out DARE somewhere??
IF he is a DEMO<<<<<<<<<<<<<<!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PLEASE>>>SARA>>>>>>>"LET" him "GO"!!!!!!!!!!!!!
thank's
PSYKOMO
<off topic>
@Dead Aim
"I have never seen a post of yours that wasn't meant to counter any line of thinking that was considered normal by the masses."
KYFloyd has had multiple posts on odds, probabilities and other mathematical relations to the lottery. Most of his other posts appear informative and correct to me.
</back on topic>
Maddog, I was not attacking you. I was referring to "these comments" as the comments in general about a 3 time convicted sex offender.
By the way, you asked me what he was convicted of 3 times. He was charged & convicted twice in 1993 for molestation. Both children were under the age of 13. He went to prison and was released after 4 years. In March 2000, he was convicted again of molesting a young child he was babysitting. Due to a plea bargain, another charge of sexual abuse on a child was dropped and he was sentenced to 6 years.
I'm guessing the reason he has been in a treatment program for a year is probably because it was court ordered after his release.
I honestly don't care if he won the lottery. That wasn't my point.
This %@&#$@ molested his friend's 4 and 5 year old daughters in 1993, was convicted in 2000 of molesting another girl and, odds are, has molested other girls without getting caught. (Google - Alec Ahsoak Rev. Bob Martin)
No congrats here. May he rot in hell.
Thank you, bytheshore. Yes, he even admitted he's been sexually molesting children for a long time but never got caught.
http://www.ktuu.com/global/story.asp?S=9662520
He is a 53 year old adult male. He has not only been convicted of molesting 3 young children and was caught molesting a 4th in 2000, but he has been in prison twice. Yet he keeps getting out on probation. Maybe he gets released for good behavior because there aren't any little girls in prison.
Imagine being one of his victims and watching him on TV collecting his lottery prize.
You're welcome. I can't believe anyone would want to congratulate this pervert.
"Maybe he gets released for good behavior because there aren't any little girls in prison."
I read your post so fast, I missed that. Yeah, easy to be a model citizen when temptation his prey is far away.
I agree. As far as "stats" are concern we all know this type of crime is way under reported and most victims can't or won't come forward. When a sex offender is caught, chances are that it's not his/her first attack.
Justxploring,
I owe you an apology. I read the story when it was first posted and I saw where he was convicted of sexual abuse but under sexual abuse there is such a broad spectrum listed as abuse and not molestation. After seeing your last post and the news interview with the reverend about his two daughters, I definately was out of place with my comments.
I was neither defending him, nor condoning his actions, it was just that I didn't see this in the story. He is lower than cow dung and he should definately rot in " Hell ".
I didn't care if he won the lottery either. Again I apologize..!