Lottery winner imprisoned for buying tickets with drug money

Comment #3

RJOh — Sat, 08 Nov 2003 18:13:15 GMT

I wonder if any of those Enron executives will have to return any of the things they bought with their stolen of ill gotten funds or does Texas have different laws for different crooks? From news I've read about Texas and some of their court decisions lately, I think they make up laws as needed and if they aren't challenged, they get away with it.RJOh

Comment #2

mjwinsmith — Sat, 08 Nov 2003 13:22:05 GMT

Quote: Originally posted by tg636 on November 05, 2003 He should have said he bought the ticket with change he found in a pay phone or empties he had returned. That question I have is: if he is not entitled to the money (which, by the way, would probably keep him out of the drug dealing business for good and helped him pay off those 14 year of back taxes) then by all logic it should go back in the pot and be available to other players. It should not be confiscated by the state. It is his winni... [ More ]

Comment #1

tg636 — Wed, 05 Nov 2003 12:50:44 GMT

He should have said he bought the ticket with change he found in a pay phone or empties he had returned. That question I have is: if he is not entitled to the money (which, by the way, would probably keep him out of the drug dealing business for good and helped him pay off those 14 year of back taxes) then by all logic it should go back in the pot and be available to other players. It should not be confiscated by the state. It is his winning the state lottery that is illegal, not strictly pos... [ More ]

Lottery winner imprisoned for buying tickets with drug money

Lottery Post — Wed, 05 Nov 2003 10:34:57 GMT

A $12 million Texas lottery winner who bought his lucky ticket with drug proceeds got two strikes today: a 24-year federal prison sentence and an order to return the money.A federal judge sentenced Jose Luis Betancourt, 52, who was convicted by a jury in June of conspiracy and two counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. The jury in a second verdict said Betancourt should forfeit his lottery jackpot because the ticket was purchased with drug proceeds.Betancourt had been traffickin... [ More ]