Man cheated out of jackpot wants lottery to pay up
 

run! :1orglaugh

AUSTIN ? A man cheated of his million-dollar jackpot wants the Texas Lottery to pay up.

The case of Willis Willis drew widespread attention a week ago after a store clerk was indicted for allegedly keeping Willis' winning ticket and claiming the 67-year-old Grand Prairie man's prize in June.

The clerk, identified as Pankaj Joshi, is considered a fugitive.

And Willis is still waiting for his money.

?It's been amazing what's going on,? Willis, who said he does maintenance work at apartment buildings, said Tuesday. ?I need the money, but no, I'm not upset. I'd just like to get the money that's due me.?

Texas Lottery Commission spokesman Bobby Heith declined comment on the issue Tuesday. Willis and his lawyer, Sean Breen of Austin, said the lottery's general counsel agreed to meet next week.

?We're cautiously optimistic the Texas Lottery Commission is going to do the right thing and pay Mr. Willis the money he won fair and square,? Breen said.

?We believe the Texas Lottery Commission had a duty to properly and thoroughly investigate what amounts to a major red flag ? the presentation of a million-dollar winning ticket by one of its own agents ? rather than simply pay that agent money that belongs to Mr. Willis,? Breen wrote in a Monday letter to the agency's general counsel. ?Mr. Willis did nothing wrong, and therefore the lottery should pay him immediately.?

Willis said his plans, assuming he gets his winnings, are simple: Get attention for some dental problems; pay his bills from a hospital stay this year; and take care of the education of his daughter, who intends to go to college.

He bought the winning Mega Millions ticket May 29 in Grand Prairie, according to the Austin Police Department, one of the agencies that investigated the case. On May 31, Willis asked a clerk to check whether it and two others were winners. He was told he had won $2.
Co-workers blew whistle

On June 25, the clerk, identified as Joshi, presented the winning ticket at the commission in Austin. The ticket was validated, and $750,006, after taxes, was transferred to Joshi's bank account.

When Joshi's co-workers became suspicious of his good fortune and called the commission, investigators determined that Willis had bought the ticket, and they gave their findings to the Travis County District Attorney's Office, according to police. A Travis County grand jury indicted Joshi on the offense of claiming a lottery prize by fraud, a second-degree felony.

?He's considered a fugitive, and we're continuing to search for him,? said Travis County Assistant District Attorney Patricia Robertson, chief of the White Collar Crime Unit.

So far, $365,000 has been recovered from U.S. banks, officials said.

?That money is being held in an account. We're going to be returning that to the victim at some point,? Robertson said. ?We hope to be able to return the money to him as quickly as possible.?
Hopes to avoid a lawsuit

She said officials are trying to recover the rest of the money.

Breen said Willis ?played by the rules,? and his jackpot claim should be paid in full, regardless of whether the rest of the funds are recovered.

Breen said in his letter that Willis ?should not be forced to sue to collect his prize.?

The state generally has protection from individuals' lawsuits unless the Legislature gives permission to sue. Breen said in some instances that immunity may be waived, but he hoped the matter does not come to that.

They have been playing it on the news every night. who would name a kid Willis Willis?????
Willis should have taken his ticket to a TX Lottery office if he really thought it was a winning ticket. Some people have said there may have been a reason ol WW couldnt redeem his winning ticket so he had that Nepalese guy turn it in and then he split with the cash. I wonder if hes waiting for his email that starts DEAR SIRS I AM A Nepalese ROYAL and need help transferring some money LOL

I know a guy named Mohammed Mohammed Mohammed. True story :upsidedow

Earlier this year Chris Hanson did a special on lottery fraud. Amazing how many clerks/store owners they were able to catch cheating store patrons out of their winnings. Watch these vids - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30550956..._chris_hansen/

I don't understand why the Texas Lottery commission would have paid out such a big win without reviewing the video tape and also discovering the winnings were collected by a store clerk.

I saw that Dateline lottery story too. Seems the elderly are the ones more vulnerable to this type of scam

if i buy a ticket i check my #'s

jackpot winners are on all sides

The Scene - A club


Guy 1 - "Mohammed! Mohammed! Mohammed!"

Mohammed - "I fucking heard you the first time"