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Family Court Thief
May 6, 2010 permalink
Hamilton family court worker Elaine Young led a pool of lottery ticket buyers. When a ticket was a winner, she cashed it for herself, cutting out the co-buyers.
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Woman alleged to have cheated group on Lotto win
A Hamilton woman alleged to have cheated her lottery ticket buying co-workers and tried to collect on a winning $2,608 Lotto 6-49 ticket herself has been charged with theft and fraud.
Inspector Bill Price, of the OPP's investigations and enforcement bureau attached to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, said yesterday the woman was the leader of a group of "professionals" in Hamilton who bought lottery tickets. Police allege she tried to collect on a ticket at the Ontario Lottery and Gaming prize office Feb. 9 without advising the group.
Price would not say where she worked but The Spectator has learned she works in the Hamilton family court.
Price did not know which draw the ticket won on. He did say it was not a grand prize, but represented "a combination of lesser" winning numbers.
Elaine Young is charged with one count each of theft under $5,000 and fraud under $5,000.
She will appear in court in Hamilton June 25.
The investigation was referred to the OPP by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. The OPP has been responsible for investigating insider lottery wins by persons regulated by the AGCO and other suspicious wins for lotteries conducted and managed by the OLG.
Price said the type of incident alleged does not happen very often although he could not speak to the frequency of group leaders keeping a winning ticket. More often, he said, a member or former member of a regular buying group will complain they were left out of a draw.
"The best thing people who buy lottery tickets in a group can do to protect themselves is to get a copy of the tickets purchased from the group leader, before the draw," said Price. "That way everyone has the numbers."
Source: Hamilton Spectator
