Victim of stolen Texas lottery ticket says he knows how to get money back

Comment #31

rdgrnr — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:55:22 GMT

There once was a man from Grand Prairie

Who was blessed by the Lottery Fairy

He gave his ticket to Joshi

And then oh by gosh he

Wound up with no money to carry

(sorry

Comment #30

larry3100 — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:05:26 GMT

The lottery commission owes Willis nothing.They paid out in good faith to Pankaj Joshi who signed it.The law is the law.I feel for Willis but that's the way it is.Let it be a lesson to all.Sign your lottery tickets !!!.

Comment #29

tiggs95 — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:29:24 GMT

PERDUE..You made the best point in bold letters..I knew that in 1988 when I started buying lotto tickets..SIGN THE BACK..Simple as that..Put it your fridge or a bank vault till you go cash it..If's it millions sleep with it..

Comment #28

PERDUE — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:20:46 GMT

Very true. Just the other day TX was able to put $7 million into the kitty because of an expired MegaMillion ticket.

Comment #27

RJOh — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:09:15 GMT

Besides, if the store owner had said nothing, he wouldn't had known he lost out on collecting a million dollars. Every years I hear of prizes that size going unclaimed and the persons who either lost their tickets or just didn't get around to checking it aren't any worst off as far as they know.

Comment #26

time*treat — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:31:34 GMT

The story indicates the real winner will get $365,000 of his money. I wouldn't call that a destroyed life. Better than most scam victims recover.

Comment #25

Drivedabizness — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:37:24 GMT

Well said

Comment #24

PERDUE — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:46:11 GMT

Correct me if I am wrong but in the first story didn't Mr. Willis give a long list of excuses about why he did not check his ticket himself? Now in this story:

Willis returned to the Lucky Food Store on May 31 to have the Mega Millions ticket and two Cash 5 tickets scanned, because he had not been able to locate the winning numbers.

This is B.S. there was a scanner attached to the counter where all he had to do is scan his own tickets to see if they won. Also all he had to do is pick up... [ More ]

Comment #23

jeffrey — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:15:47 GMT

I did say maybe , didn't I? Stealing money is a small crime compared with terrorism, drug dealing and fraud to the tune of untold millions and many suffering individuals. This man's loss is not small. I would love to see justice. It's too bad this man is so far away. I'm afraid that justice is dead for most people.

Comment #22

KY Floyd — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:03:48 GMT

It almost certainly wasn't a rule of the lottery that prevented you from buying tickets where you worked. Perhaps some state lottery prohibits it, but the vast majority of states apparently do not. Within reason, a store is certainly free to make their own rules on many things their employees can't do. Many people think that store clerks have an unfair advantage, so perhaps management at your store decided to prohibit employees from playing there.

As pointed out by others, lottery tickets are... [ More ]

Comment #21

CAL-LottoPlayer — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:49:51 GMT

That might not be true. It all depends if Nepal has an extradition treaty with the USA and if Nepal enforces it. As for Russia, you're right. In certain towns, people who steal from US citizens are considered heroes.

Comment #20

jeffrey — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:38:50 GMT

The sad truth is that this man is gone and he will never be seen again. This man has destroyed the true winner's life now and is laughing. He is telling all his friends how stupid Americans are. I hope this effects some changes. Maybe the US government will have this guy brought back. In Russia, the people who steal from Americans are heros. Food for thought.

Comment #19

flconchshl — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:16:15 GMT

When I worked at a convience store we were not allowed to buy lottery tickets at the store we worked at. So if the lottery officials go by thier own rules then the ticket does not belong to the store clerk. Also if the gentlemen who bought the ticket can show he bought that number for years they should realize it is his ticket. Don't know if the store clerk owns the store or not but they get a percentage for selling the winning lottery ticket. If they can't get the money back from him, everyone... [ More ]

Comment #18

Nino224 — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:46:28 GMT

As mad as this makes me, the Lottery is under no legal obligation to pay Willis. If they pay him it's solely out of altruism. Then THEY (as a state entity) could go after Jogi and seek extradition.

The case in Florida is another story. This past August, Louis Tolentino scratched himself a $500,000 winner, and put it in his back pocket UNSIGNED. When he got home it was gone. The difference here is that the Lottery has a clerk who's a witness and a printed confirmation ticket that confirms he b... [ More ]

Comment #17

TheGameGrl — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:21:20 GMT

Thank you Cal-Lotto for correcting my previous post on the terminology of indictment verses conviction.

Comment #16

BCC30 — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:13:33 GMT

Mr. Willis, Here is a thought....... it's called....... BOUNTY HUNTER

Comment #15

CAL-LottoPlayer — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:59:41 GMT

Texan,

before you go over there, you should know that it was the store manager who first alerted the Lottery officials. The initial story was covered on LotteryPost. However, as LotteryPost reported, for some reason the manager waited a month after Joshi left for Nepal before reporting it. Why the manager did not report Joshi when he was first suspicious I don't know. The manager became suspicious after Joshi gave his 2 weeks notice.

Comment #14

CAL-LottoPlayer — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:53:49 GMT

Joshi WAS CONVICTED . That means He was found guilty of the charge of fraud.

No, Pankaj Joshi was only indicted, not convicted. First he must be found, then extradited, then tried, then convicted. Each of these steps will take months. Extradition alone, if Joshi fights it, could take months. In addition, during each of these steps, Joshi's lawyer will cost money, lots of money, lots and lots. Guess where Joshi will draw this money from? Yes, that's right. You guessed it. He will draw it from... [ More ]

Comment #13

TheGameGrl — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:53:44 GMT

Okay to those who gleen the news information.

Joshi WAS CONVICTED . That means He was found guilty of the charge of fraud.Which equates to the judicial system had enough evidence to find guilt.ALong with a warrant. So stop it with the Lottery isnt involved, even the judicial system agrees that fraud transpired. THe Lottery had to at some point fork over the information to the judicial system to get the conviction. It wasnt just heresay folks!

The reality is The rightful purchaser of the ti... [ More ]

Comment #12

NITEHAWK61 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:15:40 GMT

I like the lottery machines in Connecticut. They scan the ticket and a voice says congratulations you won $24.00 .

then there is no confusion

Comment #11

RJOh — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:58:10 GMT

This type of crime could be stopped if lottery commissions were serious about stopping it.

In Ohio, some stores return tickets to their customers after they are checked even if a prize is won and paid. The clerks in these stores just keep the receipt for their records while other stores keep both tickets and receipts. If lottery commissions established a policy that required all stores to return all tickets to their customers after checking them then this would never happen.

Comment #10

TnTicketlosers — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:44:34 GMT

Open a can of whoop ass ole boy

Comment #9

fbird — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:59:02 GMT

I've just never understood how someone could just hand a ticket over to someone else, that they don't know...when it could possibly be worth big money ?? Too many people out there waiting to scam you

Comment #8

Drivedabizness — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:34:41 GMT

Captain Lotto is right - there are good reasons why the procedures are set up the way they are. The Lottery will never win getting in the middle of who gave the ticket to who, who really owns it , etc. Their job is to validate the ticket that is presented to make sure that it is indeed the winning ticket and then to pay the prize promptly. C'mon kids, we have to take a little responsibility for ourselves.

You have to have the ticket (in almost all cases - not a copy). You have to sign it... [ More ]

Comment #7

Captain Lotto — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:47:06 GMT

The Lottery already paid the prize to the crook. A lottery ticket is a bearers instrument. Sign your ticket before handing it over to someone you don't know.

While it's a shame, the Lottery has no legal recourse. Someone claimed the ticket. It's up to us individually to protect ourselves from unscrupulous people.

Comment #6

konane — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:39:27 GMT

Agree with JAP, he should have filed a police report already.

I'm missing one thing in this story .... what proof does Mr. Willis have that the ticket belonged to him? Did either article state that Mr. Willis had played the same numbers over and over, therefore had non-winning tickets to back up his claims? Or did it mention that Mr. Willis had a copy of the ticket?

Still seems to come down to one basic thing, check your tickets yourself .. always .... and don't let it leave your hands un... [ More ]

Comment #5

rdgrnr — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:03:37 GMT

It's apparent that the TLC is taking the tack of not setting a precedent to avoid facing problems like this in the future.

I think they would be wiser to just give the man his money for the sake of public relations and credibility if nothing else.

It's called doing the right thing.

If you could get people together and boycott the lottery, I bet they'd give him the money right away.

Comment #4

JAP69 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:55:56 GMT

Why has Willis not filed a police report for stolen property against the guy? Then it becomes a matter of police investigation for grand theft.

An unsigned ticket is still your property when it is your possession even though he had the clerk scan it. When you go to the clerk and hand the clerk cash for a purchase you expect your change back.

Comment #3

rcbbuckeye — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:49:22 GMT

I have always felt the Tx Lottery Comm was very honest and transparent, but this really disappoints me. It seems they don't care who the rightful owner is.

Comment #2

The Texan — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:47:01 GMT

I never see anything that even remotely hits home...yet I live off of Great Southwest Parkway in Grand Prairie...I live literally 3/4 mile from that store...I NEED TO PAY IT A VISIT

Comment #1

RJOh — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:35:11 GMT

I hope Willis Willis doesn't end up like other similar victims I read about a few years back who eventually owed their lawyer more money than they ended up getting.

Victim of stolen Texas lottery ticket says he knows how to get money back

Lottery Post — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:20:27 GMT

Willis Willis has an idea how he can get his money back from the store clerk who authorities say stole his $1 million winning lottery ticket.

Just get me in a room with him for two minutes, says the 67-year-old Navy veteran.

Willis was back home in Grand Prairie on Tuesday after a meeting with Texas Lottery Commission officials Monday in Austin in which his attorneys tried unsuccessfully to collect the winnings.

It was a meeting that only seemed to add confusion and frustration to the