Drug dealer must forfeit lottery jackpot

Comment #70

Pair King — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 00:32:33 GMT

poor guy....let this be a lesson to those with convictions...whispers....do you know any trust worthy people in your family who makes legal earned dollars if so yall needs to workout a deal...id rather see 1 million than zilch....nada...nothing you know...

Comment #69

libra926 — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 00:14:29 GMT

HAPPY WEDNESDAY..9/7/05.....CHEWIE AND SAGAN....Please pay me the complement of knowing that I concurr with both of you.....In fact, if you look at England, and Denmark for example, with their legalized Drug usage, it hasn't done anything for their societies, accept created a certain group of clandestined dope heads, who are incapable of contributing anything of value to society.

Comment #68

sagan — Sun, 04 Sep 2005 00:12:00 GMT

librathe law is the law and until it is changed i think we should abide by it and do the penalties.when the law changes and it should when it is wrong then the penalties will change.what happens if murder becomes legal? are you saying we should not punish for those crimes we do not agree with.prohibition was wrong and the way it was enforced was wrong, which does not mean those who did it should be forgiven, they broke the law knowing they would be punished by the penalties in force at that time... [ More ]

Comment #67

Chewie — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 20:54:56 GMT

When you legalize all the drugs, all the alchohal, and all the prostitution, take a snap shot of America from a space craft. It'll go down in history as what America used to look like. Before you do that, say goodbye to your children, because their lifes will change for the worse. The one or two exceptions, where certain people were able to withstand the breakdown in culture, will not be the document for justifying it. Go to a rehab center and see how their lives improved with drug usage. Legali... [ More ]

Comment #66

libra926 — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 19:09:09 GMT

HAPPY LABOR DAY WEEKEND ....TO ALL MY FELLOW HAPPY MM GAMBLERS....3:00PM ESTSEPTEMBER 2ND.....SATURDAY AFTERNOON...... SAGAN ....I do concurr with you to a degree, but playing the Devil's Advocate what happens if the day should come that dealing Drugs in the United States is made legal.....remember once upon a time, Alcohol was considered a Drug in some courters still is, but because of the extremely lucrative underground trade on Alocohol, the US decided to make it legal to engage in... [ More ]

Comment #65

emilyg — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 01:19:57 GMT

amen

Comment #64

sagan — Tue, 30 Aug 2005 21:28:48 GMT

i see that there are few incentives for dealers to quit dealing drugs, i also think drugs are not good for the health of this nation, so what are law enforcers to do?i think make the penalties as harsh as possible and to help pay for the law enforcement, confiscation is great.i also think it could be used on a broader basis maybe for theft and other property crimes.

Comment #63

Pick-4_Master — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 02:16:22 GMT

just my opinion on the matter

Comment #62

Pick-4_Master — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 02:16:04 GMT

Just because he was a Drug dealer they still shouldn't have taken his money,there are plenty of people in our own government that are corrupt and get away with stuff.People make a living how they see fit whether it's legal or Illegal you shouldn't dictate how a person should live we all have too eat and have a roof over our head and not all of us are capable of or desire too work like the average american.He won the money fair and square so they just should have arrested him for whatever he did... [ More ]

Comment #61

Rip Snorter — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 17:40:21 GMT

Hi libra. Thanks for the astute observations.I have some difficulties discussing these issues. I'm still dealing with a lot of anger about a dead friend, and while I'm usually fairly good at anger management, I haven't yet gotten over the hump on this.I've carried my thoughts and rationale about all this to a blog entry. I don't believe I'll be saying anything more about it on this thread. I appreciate the observations you've made. Same with those everyone else has made, though I disagree wi... [ More ]

Comment #60

libra926 — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 17:29:12 GMT

HAPPY SATRDAY GOOD AFTERNOON TO: RJ ... RIP .. RICK ......It's 1:00pm est...8/27th.....I agree w/ all responses....however RICK ...I am not referring to the Bill of Rights...and I apologize for having said states Rights .....I am referring to a particular section of legal codes....I'll get that info later, however RJ and RIP perhaps I'm writting too fast, hhehheehee, I didn't mean that race itself, was a factor in determining how Police handle situations where they enter a private... [ More ]

Comment #59

Rip Snorter — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 01:17:04 GMT

I got most of my opinions about the war on drugs from Mel King. From 1987, until he was murdered in December, 2004, he tended to become animated on the subject. When he began growing marijuana in the late '60s it was a small-time business. Marijuana growers could barely get by because prices were low and risks were high.The war on drugs changed all that by driving the price up enough to make a wealthy man of him, without doing anything else. Millions of young people, faced by the prospect of... [ More ]

Comment #58

Rip Snorter — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 00:40:27 GMT

Successful drug dealers tend to blend into the neighborhood where they work and live.The key word might be 'successful', and the way a person defines the concept. Or things just might be different in other parts of the nation. In NM, I'm not sure any drug dealer could be called 'successful' by any definition except financial. They tend to use their own products and sales to support their own use. They tend to be wild and conspicuous in their behavior. If they're meth users/cooks/dealers thei... [ More ]

Comment #57

RJOh — Thu, 25 Aug 2005 23:36:09 GMT

libra writes: The Police here are very careful, because the statutes on Civil Rights are carried and held very high, and they do not want to be accused of Racial Profiling or violating anyone's Civil Rights. Drug dealers come in all races, trashing their property may be violating their civil rights but it's not racial profiling, maybe occupational or outlawing profiling maybe. Successful drug dealers tend to blend into the neighborhood where they work and live.RJOh

Comment #56

Rick G — Thu, 25 Aug 2005 23:18:59 GMT

I guess the Bill of Rights was just a piece of short fiction written by our forefathers.A crime is punishable by incarceration and/or fines.Confiscation of assets by the government is specifically excluded in our Bill of Rights.If I'm mistaken, please direct me to the source of your disagreement in the Bill of Rights or the Constitution of the US prior to any ammendments to these fundamental concepts of the United States of America.It also used to be illegal to make alcoholic beverages...but tha... [ More ]

Comment #55

libra926 — Thu, 25 Aug 2005 22:33:29 GMT

HAPPY THURSDAY...8/25....TO ALL MY FELLOW HAPPY GAMBLERS....HI RIP......Your information was extrememly interesting and informative. However, in my State Maryland ...the police cannot take such Melodramatic Actions, even with the warrant unless and only unless they were staking out the house or establishment for several days and had seen and filmed quite a bit of suspicious behavior to give them just cause. I would have to imagine based on what you've told me, that apparently States righ... [ More ]

Comment #54

beast*within — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 20:56:17 GMT

THIS SHOULD AND PROBABLY WILL BE APPEALED.IT IS JUST A BAD CASE. I AM SURE THERE IS A LAWYER WAITING FOR THE CASE

Comment #53

Rip Snorter — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 20:01:08 GMT

Thanks Sagan. Nothing to be sorry for, however. All part of the learning experience of living. To have it different I'd have had to not do it, and not lived the best 16-18 months of my life.No way I'd swap it for some other option. (However, I wouldn't object to having done something with that money the rats ate.... almost anything from a steel box to a blackjack table would have been at least as satisfactory and might have made the years since a lot easier. I hope nothing in any of my post... [ More ]

Comment #52

sagan — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 18:49:01 GMT

paranoia runs rampantthought i was the only onei do know enough not to bury money however, cash in a destroyed economy has little value. it is trade goods that have valuesorry about your 2000 investment philosphy tho rip

Comment #51

Rip Snorter — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 15:45:13 GMT

That's an interesting viewpoint. Probably has some merit, even, for folks inclined to worry about such things.There's another side of the coin, however, which will be illustrated by the following anecdote dredged out of my personal experience:I was a Y2K believer. I thought civilization was going to collapse January 1, 2000, and I bet my all on it. Seemed to make sense to me at the time, the cost of being wrong and it not happening being less than the cost of being right and not doing it. I... [ More ]

Comment #50

tg636 — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 15:07:57 GMT

I guess the best thing to do if you have a questionable past is to get your millions in cash or gold and hide it somewhere. You never know when Big Brother will be making a grab. I'm sure they will be doing a massive check on every winner to see if they have something to make an arrest and confiscation on. I don't think it should be just drug dealers who should worry.

Comment #49

Rip Snorter — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 02:02:34 GMT

But, you're definitely right.You don't have to go far outside US borders to find it worse, or as bad. My impression is that Canada's okay, but I couldn't stand the cold. Britain's probably not too bad, but you'd have to put up with Brits. Aussies, even they don't like the politics down there. Everywhere else is full of people from everywhere else.... I'll live out my years in the US if they let me.Jack

Comment #48

Rip Snorter — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 01:15:19 GMT

Pays off sometimes.My old friend, Mel King, and I got over a hundred bales of hay from a deal of that sort once.A tractor trailer rig was carrying a stash of jade under the hay, up toward the front of the trailer. The cops unloaded all the hay to get to it, arrested the driver, confiscated the truck and left the hay piled beside the Interstate.Mel and I were down at the cafe a few days later sitting at a booth across from a bunch of highway department guys who were arguing over who had to move

Comment #47

sagan — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 01:02:52 GMT

oh the sacrifices we make to live in a country such as this.have lived in other countries like this one much better.i think an earlier post said it we keep quiet hoping they will not notice us

Comment #46

Rip Snorter — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 00:52:56 GMT

The warrant was legal and they served it according to the current requirements of the law. The fact they found nothing illegal going on after they trashed the place had nothing to do with legality. They didn't have any responsibility for putting it back the way it was before, nor for paying to do it. Sid talked to his insurance agent, but this circumstance evidently wasn't covered.Can't make an omlet without breaking some eggs.Happens quite a bit along the interstate out here. They'll stop... [ More ]

Comment #45

sagan — Tue, 23 Aug 2005 23:53:53 GMT

rip is it true they are not responsible for damage for the breaking in to the wrong house it did not used to be that wway

Comment #44

Rip Snorter — Mon, 22 Aug 2005 22:46:43 GMT

What they did was legal. The war on drugs legislation of several years ago opened the door for a wider range of behavior in serving search warrants without announcing ones self. The door opened further with various Patriot Act passages.Nowadays they can do just about what they want........Afterall, how can they expect the civilian populaiton to respect the laws if they themseleves don't respect and uphold it???????They're clearly expecting the apathy of the people who believe it will never ha... [ More ]

Comment #43

Rip Snorter — Mon, 22 Aug 2005 22:36:27 GMT

Hi libra:Sorry for the coffee faux pas ... or whatever it was. I'm thinking of going to some sort of ersatz coffee I used to drink a long time ago.... I think it must be made from burned bread crumbs or something. Postum, it was called. But I'd like to get away from the high dollar end of caffeine addiction. Those Columbian cartels will be drifting over into the coffee end of things if the price keeps skyrocketing.I don't know whether Chewie's ripping me up, or he isn't. I quit reading his... [ More ]

Comment #42

libra926 — Mon, 22 Aug 2005 22:19:20 GMT

RIP .......WHAT the Sheriff and Police did to your Friends property was an absolute obomination......and They should be held responsible by the LAW to reimburse him for ALL DAMAGES.......Afterall, how can they expect the civilian populaiton to respect the laws if they themseleves don't respect and uphold it

Comment #41

libra926 — Mon, 22 Aug 2005 22:12:46 GMT

KYMY......I TOO hope 999 comes out for you in Kentuky.....(BTW...how much would you win)???HAPPY MONDAY AUG...22ND TO ALL MY HAPPY FELLOW GAMBLERS....HOPE EVERYONE IS WELL...RJOH....you sound great.... RIP and CHEWIE are obviously doing very well.....I see you are still ripping each other apart and chewing each other to death.......I'm LOVIN IT.....(BTW) RIP I must correct something you said about (caffeine free/decaffinated coffee) you called it fake coffee. Actually, it's not fake coffee... [ More ]

Comment #40

Rip Snorter — Sun, 21 Aug 2005 21:36:39 GMT

The road goes on forever and the party never ends, I reckon.A friend of mine is a bank director in Belen, NM. He owns a number of investment properties, which he rents out.A couple of months ago, the State Police, Sheriff and city police kicked the doors down on one of his rent houses, did a drug search, tore everything up properly..... didn't find the meth lab the warrant had them searching for...So Sid, my bud, did all the repairs himself.... door frames destroyed, cabinets torn off, doors br... [ More ]

Comment #39

KyMystikal — Sun, 21 Aug 2005 21:28:33 GMT

All the judicial system is about is money anyway. I went to Illinois and had neon lights under my car. I drove 7 hours at night with the lights on seeing all kinds of police on the interstate before a State Trooper pulled me over. He told me they were illegal in IL and was going to give me a ticket unless I could turn them off. Well in TN we have only one plate on our cars, so on the front of my car I had a plate that looked like a IL tag that said Menace . Well, in order for me to turn off the... [ More ]

Comment #38

KyMystikal — Sun, 21 Aug 2005 21:18:24 GMT

I've heard of the police taking vehicles that are stopped with drugs. It doesn't matter if the vehicle is owned by the offender or not. I know I'de be really P*$$ed off if they took my car because I let a friend or family member use my car and they got stopped with drugs in my car. That's 1 reason I don't let NO ONE drive my car.

Comment #37

Rip Snorter — Sun, 21 Aug 2005 20:37:57 GMT

They concluded that he was planning to ripe off some drug users and arrested him for having fakes of a control substance. I had never heard of such a law, but I guess there are got you laws in every state that people don't know exist. I wondered if ones assets could be taken for such an offense.RJOH:I'm wondering if there's anything of that sort involving coffee. Seems to me there's bound to be a law against possession of decaffinated (fake) coffee. If the authorities are opposed to people... [ More ]

Comment #36

sagan — Sun, 21 Aug 2005 18:36:45 GMT

i can't imagine the UN agreeing with an attack on Iraq only with a statement from General Colin Powel about water tanks in the desert.i like to believe decisions that large are based on issues that are world affecting, complicated and filled with information not available to the general public.when playing poker you do not tell the opposition what you are holding or when you are bluffing.

Comment #35

RJOh — Sun, 21 Aug 2005 18:24:30 GMT

I was watching an episode of COP last night that showed a guy being stopped for running a stop sign and 5 small bags of power sugar that looked like cocaine were found in his trunk. They concluded that he was planning to ripe off some drug users and arrested him for having fakes of a control substance. I had never heard of such a law, but I guess there are got you laws in every state that people don't know exist. I wondered if ones assets could be taken for such an offense.I got stop one ti... [ More ]

Comment #34

wizeguy — Sat, 20 Aug 2005 18:06:27 GMT

Maybe he can get a return of part of the taxes?More money to seize

Comment #33

libra926 — Sat, 20 Aug 2005 18:02:41 GMT

iT'S NOW 2:00PM EST................................ RIP your blogs are Fantastic........I love the sarcasm, the cheekishness, cynicism and the intellectual analysis..........I can never be bored reading your blogs ........ awesome.......

Comment #32

Rip Snorter — Sat, 20 Aug 2005 10:59:39 GMT

My impression from the story is that the guy'd already cashed in the ticket. It was the winnings they took.Jack

Comment #31

whodeani — Sat, 20 Aug 2005 09:35:44 GMT

A $1 lottery ticket is an asset just like buying a boat gives you an asset. You purchase that ticket you own that piece of paper and any possible winnings attached to that piece of paper. The difference with a lottery ticket is that it may be worth nothing if the ticket isn't a winner. But it also could be worth millions if it is a winner which would be a big asset.

Comment #30

sagan — Sat, 20 Aug 2005 00:47:35 GMT

the whole concept of the government siezing assets of convicted criminals for those offenses to which they qualify.

Comment #29

emilyg — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 22:56:29 GMT

finally - a sane voice.

Comment #28

lchoro — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 21:03:38 GMT

He's a 52 year-old drug dealer. It's costing the US a lot of money to capture, try, and incarcerate these career criminals. If they're making a profit off of their business while the public foots the bill for the societal costs, I see no problem with the government recovering these costs in some manner.

Comment #27

Rip Snorter — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 20:36:14 GMT

I'd a whole lot rather they just killed Americans than send them to prison for doing things you don't like. That way the taxpayers don't have to feed and water them for the rest of their lives.This send-them-to-prison to rot mindset is one of the things that's running this nation into bankruptcy. It's not doing a lot for the prisoners, either. The whole system is a revolving door retirement system for lawyers, judges, cops and prison establishments. I think it's time people demanded the cost... [ More ]

Comment #26

Rip Snorter — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 20:34:53 GMT

It's part of the War on Drugs and money laundering legislation that was passed during the 80s and early nineties. It's been going on a while.The only rights you have are those the government allows you. This isn't an issue involving ideals, or 'rights'. It's an issue of what the government is allowed to do (allows itself to do) to any citizen it sees fit.If the court says what they did is legal, by definition it's legal.Nobody's been asked to vote for, nor against it in a referendum. It is r... [ More ]

Comment #25

jporter — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 19:19:52 GMT

By what right does the government have to confiscate property purchased with supposedly illicit money? Is this part of the PatriotAct that has stolen many of our rights? Here is another example: The U.S. attorney in San Diego is trying toseize (D)Rep. Randy Duke Cunningham's California home, asserting ina sealed civil suit that it was purchased with proceeds from a violationof the bribery statute.

Comment #24

tg636 — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 19:14:00 GMT

I disagree with the basic concept of state or federal property seizures of lottery winnings, if the ticket was legitimately purchased by the claimant, that is, not stolen from someone else. That is additional, excessive punishment for a crime that he has already been punished for. He paid his dollar and took his chance like everyone else. If a slimy drug dealing criminal wins, so be it, but that is what happens in games of chance. If the government doesn't like that idea, let them cancel the... [ More ]

Comment #23

emilyg — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 18:54:01 GMT

drug dealer - he needs to rot in jail - period.

Comment #22

Rip Snorter — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 18:08:48 GMT

If legality and honesty are synonyms then all's well here. The guy was convicted. Therefore he was illegal and dishonest by virtue of his illegality, for which he was convicted and will serve a quarter-century.The court, which by definition is honest, determned his ownership of all that jackpot money was illegal and therefore dishonest.The Feds behaved honestly and legally in confiscating the money because the court so ruled.I'd really never considered that facet of things. New Mexico, Texas,... [ More ]

Comment #21

Chewie — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 17:08:54 GMT

I would think the Feds are checking the income status of any one who wwins over $5K, which is the amount the states start notifyiing the Feds of winnings. I hit for $5K and less than amonth later received notice the IRS was auditing all my taxable records. If you hit a BIG one, you have to know the IRS is going to check you out. No tax record has to be a red flag. Yoou either previously died of starvation or haven't been totally honest some where down the line.

Comment #20

whodeani — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 17:08:35 GMT

Have to disagree with you Pick 4 Master. There is nothing illegal about finding a dollar on the street and using that money to buy a lottery ticket. But using money from ill-gotten gains (drug money) to buy a lottery ticket and any winnings from that ticket or buying anything else (houses, cars, boats, etc.) gives the gov't the power to seize anything you own. I am not an advocate for an over-empowering gov't but but I do agree with this decision.

Comment #19

konane — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 16:54:24 GMT

It would be a similar rule of law applied on the Federal level is he had robbed a a bank, getting the money in an illegal manner .... making the money he got through possession with intent is not lawfully earned by him. Whatever is gained by using illegally obtained money is considered not the property of the person who got it and subject to seizure.Similar ruling applied to this Lottery Post article ..... https://www.lotterypost.com/news/118343.htm Finding a dollar on the street is a differen... [ More ]

Comment #18

Pick-4_Master — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 16:26:08 GMT

He WON the jackpot fair and square, if I found a dollar on the street bought a ticket and WON or bought a ticket after cashing my pay-check and WON your still winning it shouldn't matter where the money came from.(just my opinion) now if he killed someone for the money too play then he definitely doesn't deserve it.

Comment #17

Rip Snorter — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 15:55:41 GMT

Likely he already had commitments he couldn't free himself from easily.The people who carry drugs across the national boundaries have to live with a constant readjustment process. Where they come from there's not a large body of opinion assigning the 'wrong-right' judgements to the drug issues. It's all a matter of legal-illegal, with the legality up for grabs depending on the connections.But once they come into this country they have to rearrange their thinking to keep in mind that the legal... [ More ]

Comment #16

KyMystikal — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 15:46:44 GMT

My question is WHY would someone who just won 5.5 mil be still selling drugs

Comment #15

konane — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 14:03:30 GMT

Seems the forfeiture has been based upon the lottery winner not being a US citizen and committing a felony on US soil. Also since he had no previous verifiable job history, it was illegal funds received through drug trade which purchased the ticket .... therefore he didn't legally own the ticket in the first place.

Comment #14

Rip Snorter — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 13:04:21 GMT

Timing is everything, weshar. This guy had purely lousy timing.If he'd had that money where he could get to it, say, and they'd come down on him with indictments from something he did pre-win, he could have upchucked enough money into the right places to walk. In fact, probably never would have been arrested enough to reach the newspapers.As it was, the guy evidently didn't have the good sense to clean up his life.... he was arrested for something he did AFTER he had a winning ticket and knew... [ More ]

Comment #13

weshar75 — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 03:54:34 GMT

Do not bet-on-court Mr. betancourt cause you will lose basically everything

Comment #12

Rip Snorter — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 02:49:14 GMT

Whew. One of us has his facts entirely reversed as to what actually happened at Ruby Ridge and Waco.I won't change your view, have no reason to try. And my own facts are so accurate I'd never allow you to change them.Plus, neither of us has any reason to give another thought to what the other believes.We'll agree to disagree, Chewie.However, if it helps, I'm willing to believe you spent 22 years in a uniform of one sort or another. On the other hand, whatever war you might have fought in, you... [ More ]

Comment #11

Chewie — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 02:00:30 GMT

You're confusing fact with fiction Jack.I am not talking about blantantly violating the lawful direction of law enforcement officers, shooting at law enforcement officers, or spending my spare hours converting my rifles to automatic weapons in violation of Federal Law.I lost a friend at Waco; he was a decent person, trying to raise a family, and live the American dream. He lost his life following the lawful direction of a Federal Judge. He was killed by some slime balls who NEVER did any thing t... [ More ]

Comment #10

Rip Snorter — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 00:19:06 GMT

We each speak from our own body of experience, chewie. There's a difference between being 'afraid', and merely being realistic.I've got a lot of respect for the ability of this government to decide a person needs special attention. Such as they did at Ruby Ridge. Such as they did at Waco.By all means speak your mind. I gather from your attitude what's in your mind won't offend them, in any case. You can speak with total confidence they won't do anything. That's the cool thing about having... [ More ]

Comment #9

sagan — Thu, 18 Aug 2005 23:52:36 GMT

amen chewie

Comment #8

Chewie — Thu, 18 Aug 2005 23:48:04 GMT

Great position - be afraid of your own government. Not terroists. Not criminals. Not Mexican Cartel. The U.S. Government. Sheeesh. The day I'm afraid to speak my mind is the day they can have my American borth certificate.

Comment #7

sagan — Thu, 18 Aug 2005 23:34:04 GMT

in the book 1984 was it much differentthe govenment makes the rules, sometimes after the fact. it is easy for me to believe this person involved in criminal activities loses his right to the ticket pretty much the same as the governments right to take property that was used in criminal activity.

Comment #6

JAP69 — Thu, 18 Aug 2005 22:37:57 GMT

trial court judge's ruling that Betancourt bought his share of the ticket with drug proceeds because that was his only apparent source of income.And the next thing you know the Gov'ts going to take any lottery proceeds that were not bought with earned dollars.Hey I bought my winnig ticket with past due payments money. It was not my money it belonged to my creditors.

Comment #5

Rip Snorter — Thu, 18 Aug 2005 22:21:09 GMT

I see where the BTK (Bind Torture Kill) serial killer who terrorized Kansas for a couple of decades just got a sentence not too different from this one, except he's probably eligible for parole at approximately the same time this Mexican winner/loser gets out of the slammer. But BTK only killed a dozen or so people, whereas the Mexican did something really bad.Jack

Comment #4

CASH Only — Thu, 18 Aug 2005 20:57:29 GMT

The lost winnings should be used to add to a future Lotto Texas jackpot.

Comment #3

Rip Snorter — Thu, 18 Aug 2005 20:57:11 GMT

Careful, amigo.Those are the kinds of words that can having them knocking on your door next. These are the post 9/11 days. Department of Homeland Security. Ruby Ridge. Waco. Drug Enforcement Administration. And the guy this story is about. Words are cheap, but the price is going up.Likely you spoke in haste and regret your post. You might be well served to call your mistake to Todd's attention and request that he delete your post and this one.Jack

Comment #2

jporter — Thu, 18 Aug 2005 20:51:33 GMT

It is my take that the Federal boys saw an easy $2.5 million that they could get their hands on. A lottery ticketcost $1.00. I've bought tickets before when I had no visiblesource of income. I think the government is the thief here;And talk about racism. A Mexican to boot. I cannot agree withthe outcome of this deal and it points up the dangerousness ofour greedy government. Overthrow the bastards.

Comment #1

Rip Snorter — Thu, 18 Aug 2005 20:24:32 GMT

Sort of a moot point, the forfeiture of the jackpot. Guy's 55, with 24 years in prison ahead without possibility of parole. That puts him 79 years old before he'll see daylight again.Of course, he won't be alive to see the end of his sentence.So the State keeps his 2.75 million.Seems a bit troublesome that he got a far stiffer sentence for two counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine than he'd have gotten for homicide one. He could have gotten off a lot easier by killing half a... [ More ]

Drug dealer must forfeit lottery jackpot

Lottery Post — Thu, 18 Aug 2005 20:06:00 GMT

Texas man wins $5.5 million in a lottery, but must give it back after drug dealing conviction.A Mexican citizen must forfeit about $2.75 million in Texas lottery winnings because of his drug-trafficking conviction, a federal appeals court said on Wednesday.Jose Luis Betancourt, 52, was arrested after making a cocaine delivery shortly after accepting $5.5 million for having the winning ticket in the December 11, 2002, lottery drawing, according to court documents.A jury convicted Betancourt, who