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Lottery jackpot probe heats up after immunity dealNews Story
Investigators trying to unravel the mystery behind a bogus claim for a $14.3 million multi-state Hot Lotto jackpot won in Iowa in 2011 have received valuable information from a man in Canada who was granted limited immunity, state officials said Tuesday. A month ago, investigators traveled to Canada to conduct an interview after reaching an agreement in which a person of interest was promised the information given would not be used against him, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation assistan
Oct 8, 2013, 11:24 pm - Lottery News

Inquiry in Iowa Lottery mystery touches CanadaNews Story
Investigators seeking to unravel an attempted multimillion-dollar Iowa Lottery jackpot scheme have been in contact with Canadian authorities and are looking into people who may have been involved, an agent said Thursday. Special Agent in Charge Patrick Townsend of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation confirmed his agency sought assistance from Canadian law enforcement early in the 18-month investigation into a withdrawn claim for a $14.3 million Hot Lotto jackpot. (See $14.3 million
Jul 26, 2013, 12:48 pm - Lottery News

Autopsy reveals little about Illinois lottery winner deathNews Story
An autopsy on the exhumed body of an Indian-born lottery winner in the U.S. who was poisoned with cyanide yielded no significant new clues about his death, a medical examiner said Friday. No cyanide was found in Urooj Khan's body tissue but that was most likely because cyanide breaks down quickly, Cook County medical examiner Stephen Cina said. He said nothing significant was found in Khan's stomach. Cina says Khan's death is still considered a homicide because tests on fluids drawn from h
Mar 1, 2013, 2:06 pm - Lottery News

1 year later, Iowa Lottery still hunting for suspicious no-show winnerNews Story
Iowa investigators are trying to track down the winner of a $14.3 million Hot Lotto jackpot ticket after the person refused to be identified and was disqualified as a result. Patrick Townsend, special-agent-in-charge with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, said investigators remain unable to identify the person who bought the Hot Lotto ticket in December 2010 at a Des Moines gas station. A New York lawyer claiming to represent the winning trust waited until minutes before the one
Jan 30, 2013, 7:30 am - Lottery News

Lottery winner's body reburied after autopsyNews Story
The body of a West Rogers Park, Illinois, man who died of cyanide poisoning last summer after winning a million-dollar lottery was laid to rest again Monday, three days after his remains were exhumed for an autopsy as part of a homicide investigation. The scene at Rosehill Cemetery on Monday afternoon was in sharp contrast to Friday morning, when a throng of reporters and TV cameramen had massed outside an entrance gate as numerous Chicago police, Cook County medical examiner officials and ce
Jan 22, 2013, 9:33 am - Lottery News

Poisoned lottery winner's family reportedly didn't share his last mealNews Story
As relatives of a $1 million lottery winner who was killed with cyanide battle over his estate, sources say it appears the man's family did not share what could have been his fatal last meal. A police source tells MyFoxChicago.com that the night Urooj Khan died he was home with his wife, Shabbana Ansari, 17-year-old daughter, and father-in-law Fareedun Ansari. The source says Ansari prepared a traditional Indian meal for dinner, which Khan ate. Neither Ansari or Khan's daughter ate the mea
Jan 11, 2013, 7:48 am - Lottery News

Wife questioned in lottery winner deathNews Story
The widow of a West Rogers Park, Illinois, man who died of cyanide poisoning weeks after winning a $1 million lottery jackpot was questioned extensively by Chicago police last month after the medical examiner's office reclassified the death as a homicide, her attorney said on Tuesday. Authorities investigating the death of Urooj Khan also executed a search warrant at the home he had shared with his wife, Shabana Ansari, according to Steven Kozicki, her attorney. Ansari later was interviewed b
Jan 9, 2013, 12:30 pm - Lottery News

Lottery winner's death was blamed on natural causes — until a relative raised questionsNews Story
Urooj Khan had sworn off playing the lottery after he took an Islamic pilgrimage to the Middle East in 2010, but as he stood in a 7-Eleven near his home on Chicago's Far North Side this summer, he lost his will for a moment, handing over $60 to buy two instant-game tickets. After scratching off the second ticket, he leaped in the air, shouting over and over again, I hit a million! When Khan, 46, accepted an oversized check from Illinois Lottery representatives days later at the same store
Jan 7, 2013, 9:38 am - Lottery News

DC lottery contract is the subject of a federal probe with numerous officials under scrutinyNews Story
A federal grand jury is investigating the awarding of the $38 million contract to run the District of Columbia lottery, a process that raises further questions about corruption in a city government already beleaguered by criminal prosecutions. Although no one has yet been charged in the lottery probe, authorities are looking for evidence of crimes including bribery and illegal steering of contracts, and numerous officials are under scrutiny, according to several people familiar with the probe
Dec 12, 2012, 9:01 am - Lottery News

Honest: Idaho Lottery retailers pass 4-month security auditNews Story
Using undercover operatives and decoy high-tier winning tickets, the Idaho Lottery has concluded a four month investigation to protect the security and integrity of all its games. During the investigation, the Lottery evaluated cashing procedures of the decoy winning tickets at 128 of its 1150 retailers in 61 cities and towns across Idaho. The net result of the investigation showed that 100% of all Idaho Lottery retailers checked had met all of the security and integrity criteria. We believe
Sep 17, 2012, 11:27 am - Lottery News