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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

Georgia Lottery denies millions in prizes to winners of scratch-off gamesNews Story
The Georgia Lottery Commission has refused to pay more than $17.1 million in scratch-off game prizes since 2014 the year lottery officials instituted a policy of investigating big-money winners. The lottery has issued 270 denial letters to winners of $1,000 or more in the past four years, citing a variety of suspicions that could be fraud: people who claim multiple winning games in a relatively short period of time; winners who can't identify where or when the game was purchased; or individua
Dec 20, 2017, 7:13 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

Jamaican court goes easy on lottery scammersNews Story
There are reports of disquiet among Jamaican law enforcement officials over news that 15 men who pleaded guilty to lottery scam-related charges in the Hanover Circuit Court were sentenced to fines totaling $367,000. According to information obtained by The Gleaner-Power106 news centre, the men all pleaded guilty to possession of identity information on November 23rd and 24th. The reports indicate that seven were fined $30,000; five were fined $20,000 while two were fined $25,000. The ot
Dec 4, 2017, 8:27 am - Lottery News

2 more Jamaican lottery scam suspects brought to USNews Story
All of the 13 suspects arrested in what authorities believe is the first large-scale Jamaican lottery scam to be prosecuted in the U.S. have now entered pleas in federal court, with more than one-third of them admitting guilt or scheduled to do so. Authorities say the scam bilked at least 90 mostly elderly Americans out of more than $5.7 million. Two suspects who had been awaiting extradition in Jamaica were brought to the U.S. earlier this month and entered not guilty pleas in federal court
Sep 20, 2017, 9:42 am - Lottery News

Scammers using social media accounts claiming to be lottery winner Mavis WanczykNews Story
Police are again warning people about multiple fake social media accounts created by scammers pretending to be the city's Powerball winner. Don't fall for this scam. Don't give personal information, Michael Wilk, Chicopee Police public information officer, posted on the department's social media accounts. In a brief search Wilk said he found more than 30 fake Instagram accounts as well as a handful of Twitter accounts and Facebook accounts. Nearly all of the accounts are using some versio
Aug 31, 2017, 8:33 am - Lottery News

Lottery rigging mastermind sentenced to 25 years in prisonNews Story
A former lottery security chief was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Tuesday for rigging the computerized lottery drawings in several states so he could collect the jackpots. Eddie Tipton, former security director of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), received the maximum sentence from an Iowa judge, who mentioned Tipton's greed in his sentencing. I certainly regret my actions, Tipton told the court. It's difficult even saying that with all the people that I know behind me that
Aug 22, 2017, 4:49 pm - Lottery News

Jamaican lottery scam ringleader pleads guiltyNews Story
A Jamaican man accused of masterminding a lottery scam that defrauded dozens of mostly elderly Americans out of millions of dollars has pleaded guilty to conspiracy, and a federal prosecutor says more defendants in the case might do the same. Lavrick Willocks, 28, reached an agreement with federal prosecutors in North Dakota earlier this month and appeared in court Thursday to enter his plea. Prosecutors dropped 65 other counts of wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering. Willocks faces
Jul 28, 2017, 10:25 am - Lottery News

Lottery rigging accomplice used Wisconsin payout for offshore tax scamNews Story
After Robert Rhodes collected a Wisconsin Lottery jackpot that had been rigged by his friend Eddie Tipton, he used the windfall for an investment scheme that produced another wave of undeserved government money, court records show. Rhodes, an accomplice in a scandal that has shaken state lotteries, recently explained under oath how he used the $783,000 payout to receive an additional $180,000 in bogus tax refunds. The Texas businessman sent his lottery winnings offshore to buy a phony insuran
Jul 6, 2017, 6:53 pm - Lottery News

IT'S OFFICIAL: Tipton pleads guilty to rigging computerized lottery drawingsNews Story
The cyber security expert and brainpower behind a lottery rigging scandal that netted $2 million in illegal winnings from five state lotteries pleaded guilty Thursday to a felony charge of ongoing criminal conduct charge. For the first time in an Iowa courtroom, Eddie Tipton admitted to playing a central role in the rigging scheme after more than two years of adamant denials in the face of mounting evidence against him. Pursuant a plea agreement, Tipton, 54, now faces spending up to 25 yea
Jun 29, 2017, 10:52 am - Lottery News