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$57M Mega Millions lottery winner is sex offender with criminal pastNews Story
Fred Topous, the Kent City man who just won $57 million in the Mega Millions lottery, is a registered sex offender with a criminal past. A co-worker describes Topous as a man who turned his life around and would do anything for a friend. Topous, 45, previously served time for larceny in Grand Traverse County. He's also been imprisoned on a weapons offense, unlawfully driving away in a vehicle, and forced-entry burglary. The burglary charge is from the 1980s. He's also on the Michigan S
Jun 20, 2008, 8:01 am - Lottery News

Two men arrested in Russia for running Western-style pyramid schemeNews Story
250,000 people defrauded of US$765 million Two men were arrested in Moscow, Russia, on Monday on charges of setting up a pyramid scheme that defrauded around 250,000 people of 18 billion rubles ($765 million), the Interior Ministry said. Two organizers of the criminal group have been detained Sokolov and Dzhasybaeva, who operated under the firms names Region-Center, Garant Invest, and Garant Kredit. They have been brought to Tatarstan [in the Volga area] for investigation proceedings, a m
Jun 10, 2008, 6:43 pm - Lottery News

Two arrested for buying lottery tickets with fake moneyNews Story
New York State Police have charged two men who are on parole in connection with the passage of phony $20 bills for lottery tickets. Sean Boyle, 21, of Walden, was charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument in the first degree, a felony, and Christopher Zaorski, 36, of Goshen, was charged with criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree and petit larceny, both misdemeanors. The arrests were the result of a two-month investigation by State Police at Middletown and
Jun 4, 2008, 11:29 am - Lottery News

Yahoo files suit against 'lottery' spammersNews Story
Yahoo Inc. said Tuesday it filed a lawsuit against Yahoo Lottery spammers. The Sunnyvale-based company said the spammers send out e-mail messages trying to make people believe they've won a lottery or prize offered by Yahoo (NASDAQ:YHOO). The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in New York City under the Federal Trademark Act, the Federal CAN-SPAM Act and related state laws. Yahoo said it does not offer any such awards and has no affil
May 27, 2008, 10:33 am - Lottery News

Ex-boyfriend charged with killing $5M lottery winnerNews Story
The world, or at least a small corner of it, was hers a year ago. Doris Murray, mother of four, had won $5 million in the Georgia Lottery on her 41st birthday. She posed for a photograph with big ceremonial check at the Amba Food Store in East Dublin, where she had bought her winning lottery ticket. And, according to a press release from the Georgia Lottery Corp., she declared This is the best birthday ever. On Monday, Murray was found dead in the same modest block home she had lived in on
May 9, 2008, 9:29 am - Lottery News

Man caught stealing from charity lotteryNews Story
The boss of a charity lottery has been jailed for pocketing thousands of pounds and taking his family on the dream holiday which was supposed to be the grand prize. Millionaire Leigh Windsor, aged 46, stole $550,000 from two air ambulance charities and picked phantom winners from the phone book after rigging the draws. He skimmed off the first three months of payments from thousands of customers who joined up because they believed they were supporting charity. Windsor took his family
Apr 8, 2008, 9:45 am - Lottery News

Iowa Lottery requires winners to sign ticketsNews Story
On the heels of a similar announcement from the Ontario Lottery, the Iowa Lottery has imposed a new rule aimed at reducing the possibility of retailer fraud. Starting March 15, 2008, Iowa retailers will only be able to check and cash lottery tickets if they have first been signed by the ticketholder. The lottery also reinforced that players are responsible for the accuracy of their tickets before leaving the store, and for determining if their ticket is a winner. Under current rules, re
Mar 10, 2008, 10:24 am - Lottery News

Man accused of stealing $10,000 lottery ticket from co-workersNews Story
Felony theft charges have been filed against the employee of a Collinsville business who pocketed a winning $10,000 ticket from an office lottery pool. Curtis B. Devore of Collinsville was charged Wednesday with taking possession of a winning Mega Millions lottery ticket purchased last month by a group of employees at Bethel-Eckert Enterprises Inc. a grocery supplier for the military and cashing in the ticket. Devore, 28, basically stole from everyone who would've won the money, said D
Mar 6, 2008, 1:53 pm - Lottery News

Official gets 8 years at home for rigging lotteryNews Story
A judge sentenced a former Hoosier Lottery security official to eight years of home detention for revealing to two men the store where they could buy a winning $1 million scratch-off ticket. William C. Foreman, 62, faced up to 50 years in prison but accepted an agreement in which he pleaded guilty to a single felony count of disclosing confidential lottery information. Marion Superior Court Judge Grant Hawkins sentenced him to 20 years and then suspended 12 years. I stand here now in fron
Mar 3, 2008, 9:07 am - Lottery News

Ontario store employee charged with stealing lottery prizesNews Story
New prize redemption rules aimed at reducing theft A former convenience store employee in North Bay, Ontario, is facing theft and fraud charges for allegedly redeeming two customers' scratch-and-win lottery tickets. Sgt. Chris Williams of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario's Investigation and Support Bureau says these are the first such charges the unit has laid since its inception Jan. 1. The unit, comprised of provincial police officers, investigates claims of insider lotter
Feb 27, 2008, 10:24 am - Lottery News