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Investigators dig for evidence in missing Florida Lottery winner caseNews Story
Investigators assembled at a Plant City, Fla., home, to look for evidence that the dramatic saga of a missing lottery winner ended in his murder. Law enforcement officials from Hillsborough and Polk counties converged on two neighboring yards along Highway 60 near Farkas Road, just west of Turkey Creek Road. Detectives with metal detectors are combing the scene, looking for evidence in connection with the case of long-missing lotto winner Abraham Shakespeare. The dig marks yet another t
Jan 27, 2010, 4:27 pm - Lottery News

Florida sheriff fears lottery winner murderedNews Story
A truck driver's assistant who won $16.9 million in the Florida lottery in 2006 is feared dead after not being seen by friends or relatives since April. Abraham Lee Shakespeare, 43, was reported missing by a police informant in November. There are a lot of odd and bizarre circumstances in this case, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. We fear and are preparing for the worst. We're working this case as if it were a homicide. Donna Wood, public information officer for the Polk County Sher
Jan 6, 2010, 5:36 pm - Lottery News

Store manager charged after winning lotteryNews Story
Indiana woman pleads guilty to buying ticket from own store An Indiana woman who won $1 million on a scratch-off lottery game will be serving probation instead of spending her winnings. Betty Jacobi, 54, who managed the Cowboy's Gas and Convenience store in New Salisbury, bought the $20 ticket in June from her own store, a violation of lottery policy, 6News' Derrik Thomas reported. Because Jacobi couldn't legally claim the money, prosecutors said she gave the ticket to her daughter, Jon
Jan 5, 2010, 9:22 am - Lottery News

Stringing along Jamaican lottery scammersNews Story
It's a little suspicious when the address linked to a call notifying someone they won the Maryland Lottery is in Michigan. Or Ohio. And Richard Drexel, who has worked in security for part of his career, is no fool. As soon as the call came in for his son, also Richard, the elder Drexel called the Maryland Lottery. No, in fact, they don't call you to notify you you've won they have other means. And they certainly don't ask you to pony up $150 to pay for fees and taxes before you can collect
Dec 14, 2009, 8:45 am - Lottery News

Elderly man makes the right call on lottery scamNews Story
In the Star-Telegram Watchdog column, Dave Lieber recounts how an 86-year-old man did the right thing by not getting hooked in by lottery scammers again. For more than a year, George Kahak has followed my request that he call me before investing any more money in get-rich schemes. The 86-year-old former chief pilot for American Airlines is a compulsive scam victim. He's lost tens of thousands of dollars in dozens of scams. The other day, he called to say that he won $500,000 in a lottery a
Dec 14, 2009, 8:19 am - Lottery News

Store owner guilty of stealing lottery ticket, claiming it as his ownNews Story
Faces up to 14 years for claiming $5.75 million prize A former convenience store owner pleaded guilty Thursday to fraudulently claiming a $5.75 million winning Canada Lotto 6/49 ticket as his own. Hafiz Malik, 62, validated the lottery ticket at his now-closed convenience store near Dufferin Street and Dupont Street in June 2004 but didn't tell his customer she had won the jackpot. Seven months later, he claimed the prize, according to an agreed statement of facts read out in court.
Dec 7, 2009, 8:54 am - Lottery News

Pa. clerk stole $48K in lottery ticketsNews Story
A woman faces a preliminary hearing on charges she stole $48,000 worth of instant-win Pennsylvania lottery tickets from the convenience store where she worked. Online court records do not list an attorney for 39-year-old Diane Justi, of Freedom. Police in Conway say Justi stole the tickets while working at the Conway Superette between April and September. Police say one of the store's owners alerted them to the thefts. Police say store surveillance tapes clearly showed Justi stealing th
Nov 17, 2009, 8:27 am - Lottery News

Police arrest four in Chicago lottery ticket scamNews Story
Police arrested two men and two women earlier this week who allegedly ran a lottery ticket scam that targeted elderly Hispanic victims. The four worked as a team and typically sought out elderly Hispanic victims at stores and on the street, according to a release from the Chicago Police. The suspects would approach a victim two at a time and explain they were illegal immigrants and had a winning lottery ticket of more than one million dollars. They would then offer to share the winnings if
Nov 8, 2009, 8:53 am - Lottery News

Victim of stolen Texas lottery ticket says he knows how to get money backNews Story
Willis Willis has an idea how he can get his money back from the store clerk who authorities say stole his $1 million winning lottery ticket. Just get me in a room with him for two minutes, says the 67-year-old Navy veteran. Willis was back home in Grand Prairie on Tuesday after a meeting with Texas Lottery Commission officials Monday in Austin in which his attorneys tried unsuccessfully to collect the winnings. It was a meeting that only seemed to add confusion and frustration to the
Nov 4, 2009, 8:20 am - Lottery News

Cheated winner wants Texas Lottery to pay upNews Story
A man cheated of his million-dollar jackpot wants the Texas Lottery to pay up. The case of Willis Willis drew widespread attention a week ago after a store clerk was indicted for allegedly keeping Willis' winning ticket and claiming the 67-year-old Grand Prairie man's prize in June. The clerk, identified as Pankaj Joshi, is considered a fugitive. And Willis is still waiting for his money. It's been amazing what's going on, Willis, who said he does maintenance work at apartment build
Oct 28, 2009, 8:46 am - Lottery News