Today, 22 August, the court will issue a final verdict on Eddie Tipton, who, taking advantage of his official position, won the $ 2 million in a lottery.
He “shines” to 25 years in prison. In 2003 he began to work in one of the offices of Interstate Lottery Association (Multi-State Lottery Association), whose members include 33 US lottery operator. The association, which is a non-profit organization, monitors the choice of numbers in winning tickets, writes usa.one
The leadership of the organization trusted Eddie Tipton, and in 10 years he was appointed director of information security. But then the administration did not know that he managed to enrich himself long before his rise. In 2005, a man set on the office computer disguised as a malicious program, which “infect” all other devices involved in the determination of the winning combinations for different lotteries.
The algorithm for selecting numbers was changed, so Tipton knew in advance which tickets of which lottery operators would become prize-winning. To get the win in different states, he turned for help to his friend and businessman Robert Rhodes, as well as his own brother Tommy, a former deputy sheriff and a magistrate. The scheme has worked five times: once in Colorado in 2005 (Colorado Lottery), once in Wisconsin in 2007 (Megabucks), two in Kansas in 2010 (2by2 and Hot Lotto) and once in Oklahoma in 2011 (Hot Lotto).
The total amount that the Tipton and Rhodes brothers “won” was $ 2 million. Obtained part of the money Eddie spent on building his own country house area of 446 m², with a cinema and a gym. The construction was erected on an area of 9 hectares, near a pond. When the authorities suspected something was wrong, they began an investigation.
One of the clues was the recording from CCTV cameras in a small store in Des Moines, Iowa, where Eddy Tipton lived. The video captures the moment when, in December 2010, a man in a hood buys a winning ticket for the Hot Lotto lottery. After reviewing this video, some of Tipton’s employees and friends recognized him. Eddie was fired from work immediately after his arrest in 2015.
At the trial, he pleaded guilty. The punishment will be set tomorrow. It is assumed that he will have to “sit” for five years for each offense, that is 25 years in total. Assistant Attorney General of Iowa, Rob Sand said that such punishment will serve as a deterrent for all who think about committing such a crime. Tommy Tipton has been serving a 75-day prison term since June, and Rhodes will hear his sentence on August 25.
Eddie Raymond Tipton was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
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