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Wardens probed over Kenyan prisoners' lottery scamNews Story
Kenya's prison officers are at the center of an investigation over their involvement in a SMS (Short Message Service) syndicate that defrauded the public through nonexistent lotteries. Last weekend, 350 mobile phones and 400 unused SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards were uncovered after a search of prisoners' blocks at the Kamiti Maximum Prison, and an earlier search at the Naivasha Prison uncovered 270 phones. Officers also found a register bearing the names of potential targets. The
Jul 15, 2008, 9:15 pm - Lottery News

$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

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

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

Police break up suspected lottery ticket theft ringNews Story
In Washington state, police have arrested three people on suspicion of stealing lottery scratch tickets from stores all over King and Snohomish counties, then cashing them in at other stores. The arrests follow a week-long investigation into the suspected serial lottery ticket thefts by Kirkland police, Bothell police and King County sheriff's detectives. The investigation began Feb. 7 after Kirkland police responded to a theft of lottery scratch tickets from a Kirkland gas station in the
Feb 14, 2008, 6:36 pm - Lottery News

'Most dangerous' sex offender wins $10M lottery jackpotNews Story
A convicted Level 3 sex offender has won $10 million in the Massachusetts State Lottery. The Worcester Gazette Telegram reports 56-year-old Daniel Snay, of Uxbridge, could now face charges because he failed to notify authorities that he had moved, according to Connecticut State Police. I'm flabbergasted, Connecticut State Police Lt. Paul Vance told the Telegram. His whereabouts, until you told me about this, have been unknown to us. But I guess you could say he's very fortunate. S
Feb 10, 2008, 9:15 pm - Lottery News

Pair arrested for stealing lottery tickets for 3 yearsNews Story
Claimed $187,000 in winnings from stolen scratch-offs A clerk at Local Yokel food mart has been arrested for stealing Florida Lottery scratch-off tickets and raking in $187,000 in winnings. Michelle Joan Despain, 35, of Daphne, Ala., is accused of stealing books of tickets and claiming them in Escambia County and in Orlando during a family vacation, according to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office. The tickets she stole would have sold for more than $243,000. Despain's husband,
Feb 8, 2008, 8:56 am - Lottery News

Contractors steal $70,000 in lottery prize moneyNews Story
Computer system breached; technicians printed bogus tickets, investigators allege D.C. officials were told last year that lax enforcement of security procedures made it possible for a handful of contract employees to steal tens of thousands of dollars in lottery tickets and prize money, according to records released this week in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed with the D.C. Lottery and Charitable Games Control Board. An investigation conducted by Battelle Memorial I
Jan 9, 2008, 3:53 pm - Lottery News

FBI following leads in lottery scamNews Story
A Monroe, New York, man became the unwitting middleman in a sweepstakes-style international lottery scam that had the potential of bilking tens of thousands of dollars from its victims, police said. Monroe police Detective Jim Frankild worked with Warminster, Pa., police to investigate the scam, which, according to Frankild, went like this: A con man calls an elderly Warminster woman and tells her that she's the second-place winner of the Canadian lottery, even though she never played. The vi
Jan 9, 2008, 12:20 pm - Lottery News