$14.3 million Hot Lotto prize claim withdrawn

Comment #43

Littleoldlady — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:59:01 GMT

I think I agree with you. I think someone stole the ticket and the true owner of the ticket was not aware that the ticket was a winner. That is the only reasonable thing that makes sense. If someone sold the ticket for a set amount of money, the financial transaction HAS to be recorded somewhere; ie money withdrawn or money deposited. That scenario is easy to investigate. I don't know of too many people who keep millions laying around in a safe in thier house. The last possibility is that the tr... [ More ]

Comment #42

WWWBUKTN — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:22:49 GMT

Nobody is going to turn down the money even if they are well off.

This is one of three things.

A. Even though they say the person appears to be of age unless he/she were a senior looks can be very deceiving.

B. Somehow the store convinced this person it wasn't a winner and is now collecting the ticket for themselves.

C. Somebody stole the ticket from a friend/spouse when they saw it in their car or on a fridge. The real winner has no clue they won. When this happend in the past and... [ More ]

Comment #41

Justwinbaby — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:00:34 GMT

The winner was Mitt Romney. But it would look terrible for him to accept the money right now with all the controversy surrounding his earnings and his 13.9% tax percentage. Seriously, I truly think the winner is someone well-off and in public office or has a huge public profile.

Comment #40

nanaimo — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:20:35 GMT

there are too many lacunas in this story,where did crawford shaw the attorney get the ticket? there must have been some one who handed the ticket to him,so mr.shaw could draft the legal contract that he took to hot lotto's office. in my opinion he is a liar,he has the information but he denies the true fact. how can he not know who is the real person who gave him the ticket,i smell a rat. its shame that 14 million dollars were not claimed, even multi-millionaires will not let this amount go ther... [ More ]

Comment #39

GYM RICE — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:27:52 GMT

Is it possible that its someone who works for the lottery who actually won

Comment #38

larry3100 — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:30:44 GMT

Lottery Officials have an in-store video recording of the lottery ticket being purchased and they say it looks like the person is of legal age.Wow,can you imagine if that $14.2 million lottery ticket was worth $100 million.That would have been really something to talk about.

Comment #37

ChazzMatt — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:26:07 GMT

Has it occurred to anyone that there is a possibility that the ticket holder is already a multi-millionaire and that walking away from $14 million dollars is not that big of a deal for them?

I knew it was Mitt Romney! He bought a ticket on one of his many trips to Iowa.

Comment #36

Coin Toss — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:58:34 GMT

savagegoose,

so yea even tho we have a box to tcik saying NFP, nor for publication, when you claim a lotto, the gov does know who you are.

Well that still is better than winning and having your name and photo plastered on lottery monitors all over your state.

When I told my wife about the NFP option on the tickets, she asked if that stood for, No Freaking Payout .

Comment #35

time*treat — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:52:22 GMT

I'm waiting for a Downfall parody showing Hitler in the bunker, waiting for Shaw to let him know the prize has been collected...

Comment #34

WesternRedDoug — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:35:46 GMT

Good points. I'll take a stab.

For a), my assumption is that officials have a good surveillance image of the purchase. If a close relative of a lottery employee claims the prize, it might come back to them. My guess is it is the fourth question they ask you when you file a big claim.

For b) and c) my point was they didn't walk away from collecting, but they could have sold the unsigned ticket at a discount -- even $4M cash for a $14M annuity sounds like a deal. I realize felons and i... [ More ]

Comment #33

BevsPicks2 — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:49:39 GMT

Comment #32

rad242 — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:08:20 GMT

Avoiding the law I agree is the only thing that makes sense here. Even if the person were an illegal alien, this vas far as I know would not disqualify them from collecting. This in fact would secure his/her Amercian Dream as the state would know firsthand he/she would not be a burden and can make a significant contibution. There is no restriction from non US citizens playing the lottery and any Q A would quickly verify that. There bwas an illegal alien that won out of NYC before!

Maybe

Comment #31

WWWBUKTN — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 11:22:17 GMT

I'm certain that this is the case. I thought about all the reasons possible for why somebody with the actual verified winning ticket would just drop their claim and this one seemed to be the most valid. Here in Florida when you bring in tickets for the person at the counter to check they insert it into their terminal if it's not a winner it prints it in big bold letters across 3/4 of the ticket NOT A WINNER and if it was a winner it comes out with nothing and the ticket printer which is a small... [ More ]

Comment #30

RJOh — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 06:08:35 GMT

Maybe it was someone who had a scheme for winning Hot Lotto who would rather walk away this time and try again later rather than expose themselves, their scheme and risk not getting the jackpot too.

Comment #29

savagegoose — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 05:47:47 GMT

gotta admit of this guy worked for the company no wonder it went bankrupt

Comment #28

Luck1204 — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 05:11:34 GMT

Agreed! but there are always ways around it

a) If you're an emplyee what about having a trusted Family member do it for you? And the parents can claim for the underaged

b) I think you can claim your prize if you're an illegal immigrant no? With that much money I'm sure you'll be comfortable in whichever country you live

c) C'mon No one walks away from millions of dollars even if you wanted desperately to hide your windfall. I know if loosing my jacpot was at risk, I would have come forw... [ More ]

Comment #27

savagegoose — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 03:48:10 GMT

ive known a few rich people, and they dont say i cant be bothered collecting $14M

theyre tight areses as a general rule. even more tight fisted than poor people.

either its a crim, or someone who will see the money slip thru finger,s ie a bankrupt, . or its stolen.

Comment #26

WesternRedDoug — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 03:42:03 GMT

My best guess: the individual who bought the ticket was:

a) not eligible to win (lottery employee or underaged);

b) *thought* they were not eligible to win (felon or immigration status); or

c) was desperate to hide the windfall (child support, tax cheat, etc).

This guy can't be bothered with the publicity and sold the unsigned ticket. Maybe for only few million, but cash under the table. Could there be a black market for the people who buy and sell annuities? Could have even be... [ More ]

Comment #25

JAP69 — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 03:11:18 GMT

Yep, Maybe they could run a computer check to see if the ticket was run thru to see if it was a winner at some point prior to being claimed.

Comment #24

savagegoose — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 03:08:53 GMT

thanks for noticing,

yeah the gov gets its tax and its pre paid, ie from every purchaser, not the winner.

but really although the player has the option of remaining anonymous here, its not from the gov. they still want to know. I imagine the exact same trouble to brew ; as with iowa, here if a blind trust claimed.

We had a case wherea news paper researched; read paid someone. to tell them the name of an anonymous claimant of the highest jackpot to date $30 mill.

the guy succsesfully

Comment #23

Guest — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 03:03:56 GMT

close, Mike Hunt..

Comment #22

HiFi — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:31:40 GMT

lets think about this... somebody comes back to the store where they bought the winning ticket, hands it to the guy that works there an says, can u check if this is a winner?... the guy says nah you lost, then he keeps the ticket and tries to claim it thru a blind trust. want to find the crook behind this mystery, start at the store where the ticket was bought

Comment #21

Cletu$2 — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 23:00:28 GMT

Thats one of the most sensible things I have ever read.

Comment #20

Coin Toss — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:49:17 GMT

savagegoose,

I think you have posted before about the Australian lottery or an Australian lottery where the ticket price is $1.03 AUS, the $.03 takes care of the tax, and that remaining anonymous is no big deal.

Reading these threads about this Iowa Hot Lotto I think every lottery doirector in the US should go to Australia for some intensive training.

Comment #19

rdgrnr — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:38:35 GMT

Would you change it to a common name like John Smith or something more ethnic like Mike Oxarizin

Comment #18

Guest — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:27:55 GMT

What i would do had I won, is to change my name beofre redeeming the ticket, find an apartment complex that rents month to month, move in, change my address to the new location. Then redeem the ticket. Once the hoopla is over, move out of the apartment, change my name to some other name than my original, and live happily ever after. What's the problem? Sure, it may seem like a hassle, but it's worth it compared to the enormous hassle of dodging hustlers, hostage takers, and beggers.

Comment #17

savagegoose — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:02:56 GMT

everyone who bought a ticket in that store needs to go and put a claim in

Comment #16

Iesha Kelly — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:51:14 GMT

Agreed. That just leaves............ how do they find the body of the person this was stolen from

Comment #15

rdgrnr — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:46:22 GMT

They're already splitting up the money between 15 states who can do with it as they please.

Maybe that's why they won't release the picture of the guy who bought the ticket.

They don't wanna give up the money.

Comment #14

Cletu$2 — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:01:17 GMT

The Iowa Lottery continues to investigate,as does the Iowa Iowa Attorney General.

http://thegazette.com/2012/01/27/secrecy-key-to-offshore-accounts-linked-to-hot-lotto-case

Comment #13

HiYoSilver — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:49:38 GMT

Nobody, not even Warren Buffet or Bill Gates, walks away from a $14 million dollar payout without an extremely good reason. My guess is something highly illegal took place to acquire that ticket. Theft by a store owner or murder would be high on my list reasons.

Comment #12

TheRightPrice — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:29:39 GMT

OK. Forget everything that was said EXCEPT for the part where he says the prize money will go back into the pool so it can be won again.

Comment #11

KY Floyd — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 06:58:43 GMT

The winning ticket was submitted before the deadline, regardless of how it was submitted.

It's clear that the winning ticket was presented in time. The general info on the website says prizes must be claimed within 365 days, but I've got no idea what's in the fine print of the official rules. Depending on what the rules say this may fall into a grey area where the law is unclear. With Shaw withdrawing the trusts's claim the deadline may have made the ticket worthless, or simply having presen... [ More ]

Comment #10

Empress-N — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 05:21:59 GMT

The evidence was minimal. Lottery officials have an in-store security video recording of the ticket being purchased. They have said the tape clearly shows the sale, but they have declined to describe the appearance or gender or offer any other identifying information about the buyer.

Shaw presented lottery officials with a copy of the Hexham trust agreement, but lottery officials say it did not give them the information they needed to release the prize.

Lottery officials declined a Des Moi... [ More ]

Comment #9

PERDUE — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 03:27:46 GMT

Lottery officials declined a Des Moines Register request to release both the video and the trust document, citing the ongoing investigation.

Meaning if the investigation was not going on they would've released this information to the media.

Some state lotteries allow trusts to claim prizes, and the Iowa Lottery has issued checks to trusts in the past, but lottery officials always have known who was behind the trust. This time, they don't.

Allowing a winner to be hidden behind... [ More ]

Comment #8

Cletu$2 — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:48:30 GMT

This just gets curiouser curiouser.

Comment #7

mcginnin56 — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:57:15 GMT

Thanks for the education Todd.

I wasn't aware of the no residency requirement to claim a jackpot prize.

Comment #6

Seattlejohn — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:52:10 GMT

I think I understand this now. The only reason to put a Belize corporation into a trust is to hide the ownership of the corporation. I'm guessing that the person(s) who own the Belize corporation do not want the US government to know where they are, and leaking their name to the public makes them a target for whatever they're hiding in Belize for: tax evasion, extradition for crimes, etc.

Comment #5

haymaker — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:37:17 GMT

just keeps getting more interesting,should be called what not to do if you wish to keep a low profile

today i seen the story on just about every news outlet there is.

Comment #4

rdgrnr — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:30:30 GMT

OK, an illegal alien who didn't know what to do and trusted the wrong people to help him or an illegal alien who is wanted for something and couldn't claim it.

If there are now 2 investigations continuing, I think they wanna know what happened to the guy in the picture who bought the ticket.

Comment #3

Todd — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:16:41 GMT

Illegal aliens can successfully claim jackpot prizes. There is no residency requirement, and I'm not aware of any state that limits lawbreakers from playing and winning the lottery.

Comment #2

Grovel — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:08:21 GMT

I am not sure there is a law that prevents illegal aliens from playing the lottery.

Comment #1

rdgrnr — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:56:59 GMT

Now I'm thinking illegal alien who had it taken from him and then conveniently disappeared.

$14.3 million Hot Lotto prize claim withdrawn

Lottery Post — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:16:45 GMT

Includes video report

Someone really doesn't want to be a multimillionaire.

Crawford Shaw, the enigmatic 76-year-old New York attorney who represented a trust attempting to claim a Hot Lotto jackpot worth as much as $14.3 million, abruptly withdrew any claim to the money Thursday evening.

Apparently even Shaw doesn't know the identity of the person or persons behind Hexham Investments Trust, the group that sought the prize. Shaw told Iowa Lottery officials that the trust was a corporati... [ More ]