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'It was a horrible, horrible crime that I committed,' Jamaican lottery scammer repentsNews Story
Charles Bennett had already lost his home and moved into a trailer to pay the scammers who had taken over his life. Soon he was hiding there in the dark, told in a late-night phone call that he was about to be arrested over unpaid bills. The 85-year-old Massachusetts man would be stopped from selling the trailer by a social services investigation, but he lost all control over his finances. Even then, he starved himself so he could hand over his food allowance to the scammers. He remained conv
Oct 5, 2018, 9:25 am - Lottery News

He won $19 million in the lottery — and became a bank robberNews Story
The first time Jim Hayes robbed a bank, at age 55, he gave himself a pep talk. The former security guard a clean-cut guy with silver hair and a doughy physique stood frozen next to the entrance of Montecito Bank Trust at a strip mall in Carpinteria, a mellow beach town about 12 miles southeast of Santa Barbara. Hayes had stuffed a pillow in his shirt and pulled a Zoo York cap low over his face. It was 5:15 p.m. on April 27, 2017 and he'd spent weeks researching how to pull off the heist. Now,
Sep 30, 2018, 11:38 am - Lottery News

Chase the Ace lottery dispute settled between aunt and nephewNews Story
A family dispute over a $1.2 million lottery prize won in July was settled Monday after a five-hour settlement conference. In July, Barbara Reddick of Guysborough and her nephew, Tyrone MacInnis of Glace Bay were announced as the winners of the $1.2 million prize in the Chase the Ace lottery held in Margaree Forks. Immediately following the presentation, Reddick served verbal notice to her nephew that she was taking him to court to claim the full prize. They each received $611,319.50. (
Sep 17, 2018, 4:45 pm - Lottery News

Last defendant in large Jamaican lottery scam convictedNews Story
A federal jury in North Dakota on Friday convicted a Rhode Island woman of helping scam elderly Americans out of millions of dollars, capping a large-scale Jamaican lottery scam case that authorities have been investigating and prosecuting for six years. Jurors found Melinda Bulgin, 28, guilty of 15 counts of conspiracy, fraud and money laundering, after 3 1/2 hours of deliberations over two days. Defense attorney Kevin Chapman said he likely will appeal. The Providence woman was the last
Sep 15, 2018, 8:36 pm - Lottery News

Last defendant in Jamaican lottery scam case going to trialNews Story
A Rhode Island woman accused of funneling lottery scam money between the U.S. and Jamaica through her airline job goes on trial in federal court in North Dakota this week. She is the last of 27 defendants in the case that began seven years ago this month. Here's a look at the case and the upcoming trial of Melinda Bulgin, which is expected to last up to 10 days. Why is this case a big deal? The Federal Trade Commission estimates that lottery scams could be a billion-dollar-a-year industry
Sep 10, 2018, 10:36 pm - Lottery News

Pennsylvania casinos file suit against state lottery over Internet-based gamesNews Story
Seven commercial casino operators in Pennsylvania have filed suit in Commonwealth Court against the Pennsylvania Lottery over its new breed of casino-style online games. The casino operators are asking the court to stop the Lottery from offering the games, introduced in May, arguing they cut too close to the online games that the casinos say state gambling law reserves exclusively for them. The suit alleges several of the Lottery's games improperly imitate the look, sound and feel of slot
Aug 22, 2018, 3:14 pm - Lottery News

Police break up scratch-off lottery ticket burglary ringNews Story
Authorities have arrested three San Jose, California, men and are seeking at least one other suspected of breaking into Bay Area businesses to steal lottery scratch-off tickets. Belmont police Capt. Patrick Halleran said his agency cracked the crime ring with help from the Burlingame, Menlo Park, Los Gatos-Monte Sereno, and San Jose police departments and the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office. The suspects would break into closed businesses in the early morning hours and steal large quan
Aug 17, 2018, 1:07 pm - Lottery News

CT Lottery official disciplined for botched raffle draw claims lottery has vendetta against himNews Story
The Connecticut Lottery Corp. opened 2018 with a million dollar blunder at a Jan. 1 drawing, and months of controversy followed. But that seemed to die down as the agency recently reported a record $345 million in revenue on $1.2 billion in annual ticket sales, and took a step toward normality last month by hiring Gregory Smith, the acting Illinois lottery chief, to fill its long-vacant CEO position. However, the surface calm is deceiving. There's still big trouble. It comes in the form of
Aug 5, 2018, 8:25 am - Lottery News

Man busts through store roof, steals lottery ticketsNews Story
Includes video report By Todd Northrop A thief hoping to steal his way to some good luck busted through the roof of a grocery store and took hundreds of dollars worth of lottery tickets on Wednesday. Ironically, unlucky for him, it was all caught on camera. Surveillance footage captured a fairly clear image of the suspect's face, and after about a day on the run, Kevin Croft, 30, was arrested for the crime by Florida detectives. Croft was booked into the Lee County Jail and faces
Jul 20, 2018, 9:01 am - Lottery News

Aunt threatens to sue nephew over lottery jackpotNews Story
Includes video report A woman awarded half of a $1.2 million lottery prize in Nova Scotia says her nephew is dead to her after he took half of the prize money, and that she only wrote his name on the ticket for good luck. Meanwhile, at least one lawyer says she may have a case. Barb Reddick and her nephew, Tyrone MacInnis, each received checks for $611,319.50 on Thursday after a $1,222,639 ticket with both their names on it was pulled Wednesday night at a Chase the Ace draw in Margaree, N.
Jul 14, 2018, 9:17 am - Lottery News