Texas Stolen Lottery Ticket Victim Gets Some of the Money

There's a stolen lottery ticket story that's been going on in Texas over the last year. In the last week, it's come one step closer to being over. On February 16, 2010, a Texas district judge awarded $395,000 to a 67-year-old man named Willis Willis who was cheated out of his winning lottery ticket by the clerk at the store he took it to to redeem.

How was the lottery ticket stolen?

On May 29, 2009, Willis bought a Mega Millions lottery ticket. Two days later he took that ticket, along with other lottery tickets back to the store where he purchased it, to have it scanned to see if it was a winner.

The 25-year-old clerk who scanned the ticket told the man his Mega Millions ticket was not a winner, and that one of his other tickets was worth $2, and paid him the $2. He lied. The Mega Millions ticket was actually a $1million winner. Yes, one million!

After paying the original owner the $2, the clerk signed the winning Mega Millions ticket, and redeemed it himself, clearing about $750,000 after taxes. Then he took his stolen lottery winnings and went back to his home country of Nepal.

The stolen lottery ticket story was found out because Willis has played the same Mega Millions numbers for years.

Charges of fraud and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution have been filed against the thief clerk, whose bond is set at $10 million. His family and the embassy in Nepal have been informed that authorities are looking for him, and local newspapers have covered the story heavily. Thus far, he has not been located.

The $395,000 that was awarded to Willis came from a bank account the thief opened and that was seized by prosecutors, and from people with whom he shared part of his ill-gotten bounty.

The thief clerk has an account in Nepal that has been frozen by the government; prosecutors are attempting to have this money awarded to Willis as well.

The recent cash award to Willis may not be the end of the story, although the Texas Lottery Commission has thus far resisted awarding him the rest of the jackpot his ticket won, claiming the thief clerk is the winner because he both signed and redeemed the ticket.

The attorney for Willis is still attempting to try to force the Texas Lottery Commission to award him the rest of the money his ticket won.

Willis Willis has gained a small victory, and has some hope of a victory in the future as well. It would be a nice way to close out this story, that until now has been a horrible one. This is a terrible story of greed and dishonesty, but it carries a lesson as well, one that all players of the lottery should heed.

Sign your ticket, and check your own numbers.

Sources:

Star-Telegram, Part of Stolen Lottery Jackpot is returned to Grand Prairie Man by Alex Branch, Feb 16, 2010

Local Dallas-Fort Worth news coverage.