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$190M Idaho lottery winner sorts out her new lifeNews Story
Holly Lahti burst into the spotlight a week ago in a feel-good story about a single mother who won a $190 million Mega Millions jackpot. Then came the mugshot: a thin young woman with disheveled brown hair, sporting a black eye and cuts and bruises on her face and neck. It turned out she was separated from a man who court records indicated had abused her, and now has a possible claim to some of the money through a quirk in Idaho law. Lahti, 29, went underground with her two daughters immed
Jan 22, 2011, 11:31 am - Lottery News

Photos, evidence released in case of murdered Florida lottery winnerNews Story
Gruesome photos of the mummified body of a slain Florida lottery winner are among mountains of evidence released this week by the Hillsborough County State Attorney's office. More than 20 discs containing photos, videos and other documents were released in the case against Dorice DeeDee Moore, who is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Abraham Shakespeare of Lakeland. Moore was indicted by a grand jury in March after Shakespeare's body was discovered last January. The remains
Nov 25, 2010, 8:24 am - Lottery News

Con artists target N.J. seniors in lottery scamNews Story
The first call came in December. How are you? How's your day? We have a wonderful thing to tell you, a 65-year-old Ocean County woman said of her first telephone conversation with the Jamaican-sounding strangers. They said I had won an award, the woman said. (The prizes) ranged from $1.5 million to over $5.5 million. The callers told her she had to send them money to purchase stamps so that her prize could be delivered. She sent the money, but then she got more phone calls with vario
Nov 7, 2010, 9:55 am - Lottery News

Florida woman accused of running personal lotteryNews Story
A mother who solicited her neighbors for cash with the promise of a $500 prize was arrested Saturday and charged with leading an illegal lottery, authorities said. Tina Marie Bell, 47, had her daughter fill mailboxes with letters asking residents to send $5 entrance fees for a chance at the winnings, according to a Pasco County Sheriff's Office report. All money was to be sent to Bell's home on Rainbow Lane. A neighbor asked the Sheriff's Office if the lottery was a scam, and a deputy resp
Nov 2, 2010, 8:31 am - Lottery News

Once a victim, retiree allegedly joined scammers to bilk othersNews Story
Authorities allege that Thomas Murphy, 68, became a mule for an overseas ring that took in $800,000 They preyed on the elderly often by trolling obituaries for new widows or widowers and enticed them into believing they'd won a lottery but needed to pay the tax on their winnings to claim them. Thomas Murphy, 68, a retired principal, teacher and coach from Henderson, Minn., started as a victim. Then, police say, he joined the scam in a failed attempt to try to recoup his losses. Authorit
Oct 20, 2010, 8:39 am - Lottery News

Thieves try to cash stolen S.C. lottery tickets in N.C.News Story
A Gastonia, N.C., woman accused of stealing scratch-off lottery tickets from a Clover Mini-Mart tried to retrieve prize money in North Carolina and successfully cashed 27 winners in South Carolina before being caught. Kristi Lynn Welch, 20, was booked in York County on Monday night in connection with a break-in at Borderline Mini-mart on U.S. 321 in Clover, authorities say. Welch is one of three people facing charges in the May burglary. They are accused of cashing tickets stolen from that
Jul 21, 2010, 11:24 pm - Lottery News

Canadian gets 9 years for U.S. lottery scamNews Story
A Vancouver man was sentenced to nine years in prison Monday for running a lottery scam in the United States that defrauded dozens of elderly victims of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Henry Anekwu, 43, was convicted in April of 10 counts of mail fraud and six counts of wire fraud, all of which were centered around a telemarketing operation that told victims they had won a lottery, but needed to pay taxes or other fees up front to claim their winnings. Individual victims paid as much as $60
Jul 12, 2010, 8:51 pm - Lottery News

Police reveal financial picture of slain lottery winnerNews Story
A leather folder may hold the key to the cash and assets taken from slain Lottery winner Abraham Shakespeare and what may be owed to his estate. Hillsborough County Sheriff's Detective Preston Hollis got the folder Jan. 31 from Linda Donegan of Plant City, the mother of Dorice DeeDee Moore. Moore was arrested Feb. 2 and charged by HCSO with Shakespeare's murder. In response to a search warrant, Donegan handed Hollis currency, jewelry and the leather folder holding financial documents, acco
Jun 18, 2010, 9:21 am - Lottery News

Lottery winner's prize day includes drug arrestNews Story
Winning ticket may be subject to forfeiture Monday was a good news-bad news day for Mark Chambers. The good news is his Indiana Pick Four lottery ticket is a winner, worth $2,260. The bad news is that the ticket was in his pocket when he was arrested for allegedly dealing cocaine. Sgt. John Jelks of the Gary Narcotics-Vice Unit said his detectives are consulting with prosecutors and the city's forfeiture lawyer to determine if the police department can seize the prize. Chambers, 2
Jun 16, 2010, 11:51 am - Lottery News

Seven arrested in underground lottery stingNews Story
Seven people are facing felony bookmaking charges after authorities say they were operating an illegal lottery out of four markets in San Pablo and Richmond, California. Authorities say the lottery was broken up after a sting operation led by the California Lottery's Security and Law Enforcement Division. Investigators say the seven suspects sold homemade tickets to buyers who were placing bets on numbers in an actual California Lottery game. Lottery spokesman Bill Ainsworth says though
Jun 11, 2010, 8:08 am - Lottery News