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Ohio lottery winner wins $1 million but claims losses of $1 millionNews Story
Shifty player thought he could skirt the IRS By Kate Northrop An Ohio Lottery player who won $1 million is in hot water with the IRS after falsely claiming gambling losses of $1 million and wiring his winnings abroad. Mustafa Shalash, of Hillard, was charged with one count of filing a false tax return with the IRS after winning a $1 million prize and then claiming gambling losses of an equal amount. In 2015, Shalash won a $1 million prize on a single lottery ticket and received
Nov 12, 2021, 11:35 am - Lottery News

Twelve individuals and three stores indicted in Massachusetts lottery schemeNews Story
Another fraud ring is caught By Kate Northrop On Tuesday, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced that twelve individuals and three stores in the state were indicted in connection with an ongoing scheme to launder lottery winnings and thus avoid paying taxes. The Massachusetts State Lottery Commission (MSLC), in conjunction with State Police, discovered that twelve individuals conspired to evade taxes in a calculated scheme to defraud the state of taxes on lottery winnings
Oct 28, 2021, 12:42 pm - Lottery News

Lottery scammer stole nearly $1 million from one elderly womanNews Story
Crook is sentenced to nine years in federal prison By Kate Northrop On Wednesday, a scammer who stole almost $1 million from one single victim in a lottery scheme was sentenced to 108 months in federal prison. Leonard Luton, a Jamaican national living in Brooklyn, New York, scammed an elderly woman from Estes Park, Colorado of more than $970,000, according to prosecutors. Court documents show that Luton and another Jamaican national worked together in a scam to convince the woman tha
Aug 10, 2021, 5:37 pm - Lottery News

Lottery scammers steal $1.2 million from one victimNews Story
Crook receives six years in prison for crimes of conspiracy and fraud By Kate Northrop After stealing over $1 million from one single victim, the leader of a ring of Jamaican scam artists was sentenced Friday to almost six years in prison. Like any typical scammer, Stieve Fernandez, 35, spent his time deceiving vulnerable individuals and robbing elderly targets of their life savings as part of a high-functioning underground network of lottery fraudsters. Fernandez was said to h
Jul 12, 2021, 12:45 pm - Lottery News

Loto-Québec IT technician accused of stealing thousands from customer accountsNews Story
By Kate Northrop After a year-long investigation, a former employee at Loto-Qu bec was accused of embezzling thousands of dollars from customer accounts that were supposedly inactive. Martin Raymond, 37, a former systems analyst who worked at an online gambling call center at Loto-Qu bec, was accused Wednesday of stealing funds from customer accounts he deemed inactive. He stole over $20,000 (US$16,000) from about 30 customer gaming accounts in over a few months between the winter and s
Jul 10, 2021, 2:50 pm - Lottery News

Thief steals handbag with winning €125,000 lottery ticket insideNews Story
Caught after making a big purchase By Kate Northrop A thief who stole a purse with a winning lottery ticket worth 125,000 (US$152,000) inside has finally been caught after he used the money to buy a house. On May 31, the Guardia Civil, law enforcement in Spain, arrested an unnamed 52-year-old man at the house he bought in Valencia with the winnings he stole. The theft took place on Dec. 19, 2020. Video surveillance footage in a restaurant shows the man walking past a woman seated at
Jun 14, 2021, 12:45 pm - Lottery News

Lottery winner found dead in Michigan riverNews Story
By Kate Northrop The body of a Michigan lottery winner was discovered by Midland police floating in a river over the weekend. 69-year-old Leroy Fick, of Auburn, was found dead right before 10:30 am on Sat., Jun. 5 in the Tittabawassee River. In June 2010, Fick won $2 million in Michigan's Make Me Rich! Lottery and received a lump sum of about $850,000. He sparked controversy when he admitted to collecting food stamps 11 months after the win. If you're going to try to make me feel ba
Jun 10, 2021, 1:52 pm - Lottery News

Australian man who won lottery five times has "been to hell and back"News Story
Unfortunate winner has had a tumultuous time since landing his windfall By Kate Northrop An Australian man who won the lottery five times revealed that his life has been anything but glamorous. Carlo Massetti, 47 and a Kiwi living in Sydney, Australia, flew back to his native New Zealand to heal and cope with the tumultuous events that have defined his life since winning millions. The unlucky lottery winner is out to prove that happiness and love can't be bought or won. On the contra
May 11, 2021, 2:49 pm - Lottery News

NJ man admits running illegal "Pick 6" lottery, evades $65,000 in taxesNews Story
Illegal gambling business took in $250,000 By Kate Northrop A man from Ocean County, New Jersey pleaded guilty to operating an illegal lottery on Tuesday after having drawn in $250,000 in cash proceeds from the scheme. Edward O'Neill, 54, of Beachwood appeared before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti via videoconference and pleaded guilty to charges against him, including one count of managing an illegal gambling business and one count of subscribing to a false tax return. Acco
Apr 22, 2021, 2:55 pm - Lottery News

Legislation allows Montana lottery winners to remain anonymousNews Story
The Montana Lottery sent out its first news release Friday listing major lottery prizes won this week without including the names of the winners, following a new law allowing prize winners to remain anonymous. The Legislature passed the bill last month and Gov. Greg Gianforte signed it into law on March 31. While the legislation did not have an effective date, lottery spokesperson Jennifer McKee said they followed the spirit of the legislation in only releasing the towns were the major pri
Apr 15, 2021, 11:42 am - Lottery News