Relatives fight over estate of poisoned lottery winner

Apr 30, 2013, 7:20 am (24 comments)

Illinois Lottery

The family of a Chicago businessman who died of cyanide poisoning after winning a $1 million lottery jackpot is disputing a deal he purportedly signed leaving his share of several dry cleaning stores to his wife.

In an emergency motion filed Monday in Cook County probate court, the sister of Urooj Khan argued the business assets should be part of his estate and divided equally among his only two heirs — Khan's widow, Shabana Ansari, and 17-year-old daughter, Jasmeen, from a previous marriage.

Judge Susan Coleman agreed to freeze the business assets pending a hearing next month

The filing was the latest turmoil to erupt as relatives fight over Khan's estate, once valued at $2 million, including about $425,000 in lottery winnings. He left no will.

According to the widow's lawyer, Khan signed the deal with his business partner just weeks before his death last summer. Under that alleged deal, if Khan died, his half of the dry cleaning operation and its real estate, valued at more than $1 million, would go to his widow, her lawyer said.

Khan's sister, Meraj, who was granted guardianship of Jasmeen, following his death, argued in the latest filing that the contract was not valid in probate court in part because there were no witnesses to its signing. She also accused Ansari of quickly arranging a sale of her share of the company to her husband's partner, Shakir Mohammed.

Khan's siblings had raised concerns that Ansari might try to keep the lottery winnings for herself instead of sharing the proceeds with the daughter.

In addition, Ansari's lawyer, Al-Haroon Husain, has said that a real estate agreement Khan signed with his wife in 2007 entitled her to sole ownership of their West Rogers Park home, which is valued at almost half a million dollars.

Removing the business and real estate assets would drop the estate's worth to about $680,000, which would then be split between Khan's widow and daughter, according to Husain.

On Monday Husain defended the agreement between Khan and Mohammed as legal.

"I think this is just a desperate attempt to try something," Husain said.

David Feinberg, who represents Khan's daughter, declined to comment.

Ansari has been questioned by Chicago police detectives in her husband's death, but she has denied any wrongdoing and has not been accused of a crime.

Police said Monday the case remained an active homicide investigation.

Khan, 46, won the scratch-off lottery prize in May but died unexpectedly in mid-July before he collected the check.

As the Tribune first reported, the Cook County medical examiner's office initially ruled that Khan died of hardening of the arteries after no signs of trauma were found on his body and a preliminary blood test did not raise any questions. But the investigation was reopened about a week later after a brother raised concerns about Khan's death.

Police became involved in September after testing found cyanide in Khan's blood. By late November, more testing showed lethal levels of the toxic chemical, leading to a homicide ruling. In January, authorities exhumed Khan's body in order to perform an autopsy, but Chief Medical Examiner Stephen Cina said little new evidence was gleaned because the remains were badly decomposed.

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Chicago Tribune

Comments

JoeBigLotto's avatarJoeBigLotto

The judge needs to freeze the entire living family too they all too greedy need to chill. Lol

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

Like a bunch of graverobbers.

Hallfamily8's avatarHallfamily8

When the lawyers and taxes  r figured wont be much left to fight over anyways.
He prob wasn't even cold in his grave yet by the time everyone lawyer'd up.

JoeBigLotto's avatarJoeBigLotto

Finally judgement day. If l were this judge l don't need days to decide but minutes. First of all robert miles will get his 5million dollar ticket plus keep the $4000 already paid to him for his pain and suffering plus keep the commision the store would have received as lost interest on his 5million dollar win . And for this family I will do them a big favor and put all of them in one cell since america has no room in prison for stupid thieves.

dallascowboyfan's avatardallascowboyfan

The wife should do the right thing and split everything with his daughter, makes you wonder what kind of step-mother she wasWhat?

Nikkicute's avatarNikkicute

Quote: Originally posted by dallascowboyfan on Apr 30, 2013

The wife should do the right thing and split everything with his daughter, makes you wonder what kind of step-mother she wasWhat?

I Agree! his wife and daughter, everyone else needs to step to the side!!

ShowMeTheMoney$'s avatarShowMeTheMoney$

If the wife wants everything, that's just wrong.  The daughter should get half if not more.  The daughter is his only offspring.  The wife probably killed the poor guy for his money, too.  She seems like she has the most motive.  She had 2 million reasons to kill him.  She seems very greedy.  Wanting to keep all the money raises more suspicion on her.

billionaire2bee

Quote: Originally posted by dallascowboyfan on Apr 30, 2013

The wife should do the right thing and split everything with his daughter, makes you wonder what kind of step-mother she wasWhat?

Not necessarily what kind of step daughter was she to the wife?? Alot of kids resent the new wife or rather the wife that isnt their mother...The wife is entitled to everything and it is her choice who should get what...Another case of men who don't take care of their children....

Masone

If it was the father's will to leave the business to the wife, then that's how it should be. It was his assets, his business. He can leave it to whoever he wants.

Assuming the agreement is legit and everything. Also assuming the wife didn't kill him lol.

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

Quote: Originally posted by Masone on Apr 30, 2013

If it was the father's will to leave the business to the wife, then that's how it should be. It was his assets, his business. He can leave it to whoever he wants.

Assuming the agreement is legit and everything. Also assuming the wife didn't kill him lol.

"...Also assuming the wife didn't kill him..."

Yeah, sometimes it's not a good idea to tell someone they're getting everything when you die, lol.

dallascowboyfan's avatardallascowboyfan

Quote: Originally posted by billionaire2bee on Apr 30, 2013

Not necessarily what kind of step daughter was she to the wife?? Alot of kids resent the new wife or rather the wife that isnt their mother...The wife is entitled to everything and it is her choice who should get what...Another case of men who don't take care of their children....

The daughter came first she was in her father life before his wife. That being said any decent woman would do the right thing. The daughter was living with her father if the wife had a problem with it she should ave left. I do agree he should have had a will in place poor guy probably thought he was to young for one.

jamella724

I agree it will better to freeze the assest. It's hard when person becomes greedy. They can do everything for the sake of money.

GAMBLIN QUEEN's avatarGAMBLIN QUEEN

I wonder where cyanide came from.

I wonder if it was a deliberate act or if it was because of ill prepared food.

I'm not really sure what the last few meals were before death but I do know that certain foods will release cyanide into your system.

A little fact I learned when I ventured into a foreigh grocery store.

I'm just saying........

Before the estate is settled I would like to see the murder investigation solved..

redhot7's avatarredhot7

Quote: Originally posted by GAMBLIN QUEEN on May 4, 2013

I wonder where cyanide came from.

I wonder if it was a deliberate act or if it was because of ill prepared food.

I'm not really sure what the last few meals were before death but I do know that certain foods will release cyanide into your system.

A little fact I learned when I ventured into a foreigh grocery store.

I'm just saying........

Before the estate is settled I would like to see the murder investigation solved..

If you win the lottery, cook your own food. No Pity!

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