A Houston, Texas woman pleaded guilty this week to stealing a $1 million scratch-off lottery ticket from her cousin and receiving the $500,000 balloon payment in November 2020, according to the county district attorney. from Nassau, New York.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnely announced the guilty plea in a news release Friday, saying 34-year-old Iris Amador Argueta pleaded guilty before Judge Howard Sturim to second-degree grand theft. grade.
A Michigan couple nearly lost their chance to win $2 million on an instant lottery ticket after the woman who received the ticket thought it was fake.
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In exchange, Argueta is expected to be sentenced to between 16 and 48 months in prison on March 15, 2023.
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“This defendant thought she hit the jackpot when she passed off her bonus’s $1 million winning ticket as her own and claimed a lump sum payment of more than $500,000,” Donnelly said in the statement. “But his greedy actions also spelled the end of his luck, and he will now serve time in prison for his crime.”
A joint investigation by the Glen Cove Police Department and Donnelly’s office found that the victim, Argueta’s cousin, purchased a $5 Hod ‘Em Poker Scratch-Off ticket from the New York State Lottery at a convenience store. in Glen Cove on October 28, 2020. When the victim scratched off the ticket, it revealed a $1 million prize.
The prosecutor’s office said the victim asked Argueta to claim the prize on her behalf to remain anonymous, pledging $50,000 of the prize.
A sign is displayed near instant tickets inside a Lukoil gas station where the winning Mega Millions lottery drawing ticket was sold, Saturday, March 31, 2018, in Riverdale, NJ
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Argueta, who was living in Virginia at the time, agreed to claim the prize on the victim’s behalf and drove to New York to receive the winnings.
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However, at the time, the New York State Gaming Commission did not accept winning tickets in person, so Argueta mailed the ticket to the commission on November 13, 202.
Within weeks, Argueta reportedly went to deliver New York State Lottery paperwork to his cousin, which said the price winnings totaled $20,000. Along with the paperwork, he gave his cousin an envelope with $13,436 in cash and said the rest was withheld for taxes.
The victim found a press release from the New York State Lottery website that said Argueta claimed the $1 million prize and received a lump sum payment of $537,440 after taxes, the prosecutor’s office said.
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The prosecutor added that the victim called Argueta, who said she had no more money and that if she continued to call her, she would take legal action.
In May 2022, Argueta lost $317,857.13 in earnings from his bank account, which were returned to the victim.
