7 years later, real winner awarded $5M lottery jackpot

Aug 28, 2013, 5:41 pm (34 comments)

New York Lottery

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Nearly seven years after a winning $5 million scratch-off lottery ticket was snatched from his hands, Robert Miles of Syracuse, New York, will finally get his money.

Lottery officials contacted the district attorney's office with the news today, according to Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick. A source in the state lottery office confirmed that the "ticket has been verified" and the money "will be issued to Mr. Miles in the very near future."

The winning ticket, a jackpot "Extravaganza" winner, was sold at The Green Ale Market in 2006. It wasn't until 2012 that two brothers, Nayel and Andy Ashkar, went to a state lottery office to try to redeem the ticket.

The lottery launched an investigation, finding it suspicious that the ticket had been sold at the market the Ashkars' parents owned, and that the brothers had waited so long to try to make their claim.

After the lottery released the news that the Ashkars had the ticket, Robert Miles came forward and said he was the real winner.

He said Andy Ashkar had stolen the ticket from him — first telling him that it was only worth $5,000 and giving him $4,000, keeping a cut for the store. The case went to trial and Andy Ashkar was found guilty of possessing stolen property. He was recently sentenced in Onondaga County Court to the maximum sentence of 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.

Miles, a maintenance worker, testified at the trial. He said he let the ticket slip from his hands seven years ago because he had been addicted to crack cocaine and confused by what had happened to him. He thought that without the ticket, it would be the word of a "crackhead" against a store owner, he testified.

Miles filed for bankruptcy in 2008, knowing he should have been a millionaire five times over.

Miles could not be immediately reached for comment. His lawyer, Steve Cambareri said Miles had just found out the news and wasn't ready to talk to the press, but was "elated the lottery prize has finally been awarded to him."

Cambareri added that it had been "a long time coming."

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Comments

Artist77's avatarArtist77

Well deserved news and on a special day of the 50th anniversary of the March on DC.  Justice has prevailed.

haymaker's avatarhaymaker

Good for him, I hope he has gotten over his crack habit.

Now look at the picture, he has a smile of relief, while his lawyer has a smile of "gotcha"

haymaker's avatarhaymaker

@ Artist77 ROFL  thought I would be 1st

Pita Maha's avatarPita Maha

Great news. So good to hear that vermin don't profit from their nastiness.

Artist77's avatarArtist77

Quote: Originally posted by haymaker on Aug 28, 2013

@ Artist77 ROFL  thought I would be 1st

lol  I rarely am first...except the first in the office and the first to leave.

mypiemaster's avatarmypiemaster

Great opportunity to stay clean, and have a wonderful life. Good luck to you, Sir.

noise-gate

Quote: Originally posted by mypiemaster on Aug 28, 2013

Great opportunity to stay clean, and have a wonderful life. Good luck to you, Sir.

Well Said. I love happy endings-.Way to go Miles, look at this as a 2nd lease on life.
Party

Greg2117's avatarGreg2117

WTF ? That's weird. His name is Robert Miles. And I listen to songs by the musician Robert Miles when I visualize winning. That's got to be a sign that I'm on the right track to winning. You have to pay attention to the signs around you.

haymaker's avatarhaymaker

Quote: Originally posted by Greg2117 on Aug 28, 2013

WTF ? That's weird. His name is Robert Miles. And I listen to songs by the musician Robert Miles when I visualize winning. That's got to be a sign that I'm on the right track to winning. You have to pay attention to the signs around you.

Interesting !

Any more examples ?

helpmewin's avatarhelpmewin

Wow wonder what took so long here What?

Greg2117's avatarGreg2117

Quote: Originally posted by haymaker on Aug 28, 2013

Interesting !

Any more examples ?

You just have to be aware and pay attention to the signs or warnings that is happening around you no matter how small or insignificant they may seem. And you act upon those signs.

You may get a gut feeling one day out of the blue to suddenly play the lotto. Or you had a dream where you see yourself winning money. Or  you may suddenly see a set of odd numbers that appears more than once in your life or through out your day. You found a meassage in a fortune cookie that says something like "Great Fortune Awaits You". These are some of the expereinces that lotto players said they had after the win.

Artist77's avatarArtist77

Quote: Originally posted by helpmewin on Aug 28, 2013

Wow wonder what took so long here What?

? No one attempted to cash the ticket till 2012. This was actually a rather quick judicial resolution.

maringoman's avatarmaringoman

That last sentence says it all

Cambareri added that it had been "a long time coming."

Does he means justice for Mr Miles or his payday? Naughty

mamamary517's avatarmamamary517

unbelievablePukeThat "Extravaganza" scratch off ticket is $20 ........  where does a crackhead get that kind of money?

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