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Last defendant in Jamaican lottery scam case going to trialNews Story
A Rhode Island woman accused of funneling lottery scam money between the U.S. and Jamaica through her airline job goes on trial in federal court in North Dakota this week. She is the last of 27 defendants in the case that began seven years ago this month. Here's a look at the case and the upcoming trial of Melinda Bulgin, which is expected to last up to 10 days. Why is this case a big deal? The Federal Trade Commission estimates that lottery scams could be a billion-dollar-a-year industry
Sep 10, 2018, 10:36 pm - Lottery News

Wisconsin woman's lottery winnings withheld by state due to unpaid debtsNews Story
A Wisconsin woman who won the lottery will not be receiving all her winnings due to thousands of dollars of outstanding debts. Thursday it was announced that Valerie Diestelmeier won the first top prize of $100,000 playing the Incredible Crossword Scratch game. Diestelmeier purchased her winning ticket at the Mega Holiday on Water Street in Eau Claire. However, Patty Mayers with the Wisconsin Department of Revenue says she'll have to pay off thousands of dollars in unpaid fines before s
May 18, 2018, 11:25 am - Lottery News

How a lottery jackpot winner became a bank robberNews Story
A man who once won millions of dollars in the California Lottery pleaded guilty Thursday in downtown Los Angeles to four counts of bank robbery. On Thursday, James Allen Hayes, a security guard turned overnight millionaire, stood in a Los Angeles courtroom and pleaded guilty to committing a series of bank robberies. Hayes, 55, faces up to 80 years behind bars, with sentencing set for June 7 before U.S. District Judge Fernando M. Olguin. Hayes admitted to being the serial bank robber known
Mar 17, 2018, 9:19 am - Lottery News

Judge rules $560M Powerball lottery winner can stay anonymousNews Story
A judge ruled Monday that a New Hampshire woman who won a Powerball jackpot worth nearly $560 million can keep her identity private, but not her hometown. Judge Charles Temple noted that the case's resolution rested on application of the state's Right-to-Know law, which governs access to public records for the woman. She was identified as Jane Doe in a lawsuit against the New Hampshire Lottery Commission. Temple wrote he had no doubts whatsoever that should Ms. Doe's identity be revealed,
Mar 12, 2018, 3:57 pm - Lottery News

Mystery NH Powerball lottery winner gets her prize, keeps her privacy — for nowNews Story
Payout is anonymous, but winner's identity may be revealed later, pending court case A woman who sued the New Hampshire state lottery commission asking it to allow her to collect the $559.7 million prize she had won without making her name public collected her winnings on Wednesday, lottery officials said, and kept her privacy for now. The woman won the fifth-largest jackpot in the history of the multi-state Powerball lottery drawing in early January but began her legal odyssey when she si
Mar 7, 2018, 8:41 pm - Lottery News

Court hears arguments on $559M lottery winner's plea to remain anonymousNews Story
The mystery woman in possession of the winning $560 million Powerball ticket purchased last month in Merrimack, New Hampshire, is highly stressed and is preparing to have security guards in place should her name be revealed, according to her lawyers. She doesn't want to be a celebrity, said William Shaheen of Shaheen and Gordon law firm. Shaheen said his client, who has filed a lawsuit against the New Hampshire Lottery Commission seeking to keep her identity a secret even though she signed t
Feb 14, 2018, 9:55 am - Lottery News

NH Lottery Commission wants Powerball winner's lawsuit dismissed, citing Right-to-Know LawNews Story
The New Hampshire lottery commission is asking a judge to dismiss a recent lawsuit brought forward by a local woman claiming to own the winning $560 million Powerball ticket and fighting to remain anonymous. Petitioner's desire for normalcy and anonymity is substantially outweighed by the public's right to transparency in the operation of lottery games, wrote Assistant Attorney General John Conforti. According to the state's motion to dismiss the lawsuit, the lottery commission believes i
Feb 13, 2018, 10:48 am - Lottery News

NH Powerball lottery winner sues for anonymityNews Story
A New Hampshire woman who hit this month's $560 million Powerball jackpot asked a judge Monday to keep her identity secret. Represented by the law firm Shaheen Gordon in Concord, the winner of the Jan. 6 lottery drawing says her privacy is at risk because of a huge mistake. Identifying herself only as Jane Doe, the winner says she wrote out her name on the back of the ticket she bought from Reed's Ferry Market in a panic to secure it. Though she had merely been following the directions
Feb 2, 2018, 10:31 am - Lottery News

Brothers admit guilt in lottery scamNews Story
Two siblings from Maryland who convinced multiple local residents to pay taxes and fees in advance of collecting on nonexistent lottery winnings entered guilty pleas Thursday in federal court. Daniel Archer, 29, and Matthew Archer, 28, each pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Bowling Green to 20 counts of wire fraud. The two men accepted plea agreements in which they will pay $728,442.18 in restitution. Each count of wire fraud carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, but
Jan 19, 2018, 3:06 pm - Lottery News

2 more suspects plead guilty in $5.7M Jamaican lottery scamNews Story
Two more suspects have pleaded guilty in a Jamaican lottery scam that authorities say bilked at least 90 Americans out of more than $5.7 million. O'Neil Brown and Dahlia Hunter earlier reached plea deals with prosecutors. They pleaded guilty to conspiracy in separate hearings this week. The government dropped dozens of fraud and money laundering counts. Seven other defendants have pleaded guilty in recent months, including Hunter's son, Lavrick Willocks, who authorities say masterminded th
Dec 8, 2017, 9:57 pm - Lottery News