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Lottery scams and fake sweepstakes cost Americans $227 million in 2020News Story
Report finds that victims lost 33% more money in scams compared to 2019 By Kate Northrop A report on sweepstakes, lottery and prize scams revealed that Americans lost a whopping $227 million to con artists last year. Better Business Bureau investigator Steve Baker put out some eye-opening statistics that show a decrease in complaints but a troubling 33% increase in the amount of money lost by Americans to scammers. Kathy Chapman told CBS News the story about how her unsuspecting 84-y
Jun 14, 2021, 10:37 am - 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

Pennsylvania man arrested after using scissors and glue to make winning lottery ticketsNews Story
The cut-and-paste con was caught By Kate Northrop Police arrested and jailed a Pennsylvania man on Tuesday after he was caught altering scratch-off lottery tickets to look like winners using scissors and a glue stick. Craig Marshall Stout, 45, of Jeannette tried cashing in his DIY lottery tickets at a 7-Eleven convenience store on Fosterville Road in Hempfield but failed to get away with it this time. His cut-and-paste methods had initially worked. Stout brought in three other fake t
Apr 7, 2021, 9:01 pm - Lottery News

Iowa man accused of lottery fraud for cashing ticket on friend's behalfNews Story
Friend of lottery winner pleads not guilty By Kate Northrop An associate of a lottery winner pleaded not guilty to lottery fraud after being accused of falsely cashing in a $50,000 winning scratch-off ticket. The Fort Dodge man was charged with one count of lottery fraud, a Class D felony classified as forgery or theft of a ticket, for turning in a winning lottery ticket that reportedly did not belong to him. Skyler Sturgis Hay, 29, allegedly committed the offense in 2018 when he vis
Mar 31, 2021, 2:14 pm - Lottery News

Britain's youngest lottery winner banned from driving after drug-fueled car crashNews Story
Callie Rogers scuffled with officers while high on cocaine By Kate Northrop A lottery winner infamous for frittering away her 1.9 million (US$3 million) fortune on drugs, partying, and luxury items was recently involved in a car crash and a police chase that resulted in the loss of her license. Callie Rogers, who was 16 when she matched all six numbers to become Britain's youngest lottery winner, is infamous for blowing through all of her winnings on expensive properties, plastic surger
Mar 29, 2021, 6:13 pm - Lottery News

New Jersey scammer defrauds 3 elderly women of $675,000News Story
Lotteries urge players to be wary of the telltale signs you are being scammed By Kate Northrop A scammer from New Jersey tricked three elderly women across the country into sending her over $675,000 by convincing them that they owed prepaid taxes as a prerequisite for claiming a prize that didn't exist. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for New Jersey, Shanile Lyle, 27, of Orange was charged on Monday with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud after wrongly convincing her v
Dec 4, 2020, 2:39 pm - Lottery News

Colorado police arrest thief who stole lottery tickets on two separate occasionsNews Story
Criminal stole nearly $7,300 in lottery tickets; one more suspect remains unidentified By Kate Northrop Following an investigation of two separate burglaries involving the theft of Colorado Lottery tickets, police have identified and arrested the perpetrator who organized both ordeals. On Thurs., Oct. 22, Platteville police arrested Francisco Lorenzo Pedraza, 25, just hours after he was accused of breaking into a gas station on Justin Avenue. At around three in the morning, Pedraza a
Oct 28, 2020, 4:59 pm - Lottery News

Ohio man accused of killing lottery winner found not guiltyNews Story
Identity of true murderer still a mystery two years after the deadly encounter By Kate Northrop A jury's decision to acquit a former suspect of the murder of a player who had just won $50,000 from a scratch-off lottery ticket was made public yesterday. Michael Ward Jr., 19, was found not guilty of the murder of his cousin Isaac Carson Jr., a father of two, a barber who worked at Professional Cutters in Euclid, and an aspiring R B singer who participated in local American Idol auditions.
Oct 20, 2020, 1:51 pm - Lottery News

Texas sheriff who won $85 million lottery jackpot arrested for tampering with video evidenceNews Story
Questions raised over timing of allegations so close to an election By Kate Northrop A lottery winner famous for his role as Sheriff on the now-canceled A E television show Live PD was indicted and arrested for allegedly tampering with video footage that captured crucial moments of the death of a suspect in police custody. Before Robert Chody paved his way to success as Sheriff of Williamson County and star of his very own law enforcement reality television show, he stood with his wife
Oct 15, 2020, 9:05 am - Lottery News

Man fleeing police leaves behind winning lottery ticketNews Story
By Kate Northrop One man's luck ran out after he ran from police and left behind a winning scratch-off lottery ticket. On Monday morning, deputies pulled over a car on I-75 after noticing a tag violation. The passenger in the car fled the scene and ran into the nearby woods, dropping a backpack containing a laptop, a winning lottery ticket, and a small amount of methamphetamine while doing so. To the suspect who ran on foot from our deputies on a traffic stop this morning on I-75, you
Sep 16, 2020, 12:12 pm - Lottery News