Illegal alien faces deportation after threatening his boss over lottery prize

Aug 24, 2011, 3:29 pm (89 comments)

Georgia Lottery

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.

MSNBC

Comments

JADELottery's avatarJADELottery

Obama to the Rescue!

joshuacloak's avatarjoshuacloak

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

maringoman's avatarmaringoman

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! Angry, and uncle Sam might clamp down on most of the money. Serves him right if you ask me.

hearsetrax's avatarhearsetrax

Quote: Originally posted by maringoman on Aug 24, 2011

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! Angry, and uncle Sam might clamp down on most of the money. Serves him right if you ask me.

+1

 

No Pity!but am curious to see how this pans out

dearsha

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.

surimaribo24's avatarsurimaribo24

this what happend when you trust a hillbilly to cash your lottery winnings.Green laugh

hope the real winner get the rights to get his winnings.

martingorgeous's avatarmartingorgeous

Hasn't Cervantes ever heard of karma? How deceiptful! How low!Shocked

steve000's avatarsteve000

Quote: Originally posted by surimaribo24 on Aug 24, 2011

this what happend when you trust a hillbilly to cash your lottery winnings.Green laugh

hope the real winner get the rights to get his winnings.

know thats friggin funny lol.ROFLyup uh huh yup!

diamondpalace's avatardiamondpalace

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.

larry3100's avatarlarry3100

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. Patriot

BuyLow's avatarBuyLow

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!!

Littleoldlady's avatarLittleoldlady

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.

CashWinner$

Quote: Originally posted by diamondpalace on Aug 24, 2011

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.

LoL

OldSchoolPa's avatarOldSchoolPa

Quote: Originally posted by Littleoldlady on Aug 24, 2011

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.

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.

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