Lottery Lawyers Tell Duped Winner "Too Bad"

Man's lawyer says lottery commission considers alleged thief to be winner

By OMAR VILLAFRANCA

Updated 2:34 PM CST, Tue, Nov 3, 2009

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The giant lottery jackpot waiting for a winner in Friday's drawing is sure to draw gamblers not used to waiting in lines.

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Five months after buying a winning million-dollar Texas lottery ticket, Willis Willis isn't living like a millionaire. In fact, he hasn't seen any of the money -- and the lottery commission doesn't plan on giving him any.

Authorities say a former employee of the Grand Prairie convenience store where Willis bought the ticket told the man the winning ticket was only worth $2. The former clerk, Pankaj Joshi, was indicted in September on one charge of claiming a lottery prize by fraud.

Willis' attorney said lawyers for the Texas Lottery Commission in Austin told him his luck had run out.

"They said, 'Too bad, Willis,' and, 'We've paid the other person,' and that they only pay one time," said Randy Howry, Willis' attorney.

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Howry said the commission basically told his client that because Willis didn't turn the ticket in, the commission considers Joshi to be the winner.

Investigators said Joshi cashed in Willis' winning Mega Millions ticket in Austin on June 25 and then disappeared.

Willis, 67, bought the ticket in May.

"I never thought it would come to this," he said last week. "By me not cashing that ticket in, to me it was a complete loss."

Howry said the Travis County District Attorney's Office has frozen an account believed to belong to Joshi. The account has roughly $350,000 in it.

Howry said he hopes to get the money for Willis, and said Willis is considering a lawsuit against the commission for the cash.

First Published: Nov 2, 2009 10:40 PM CST

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0 Comments

{"totSize":11,"payload_type":"json","status":"1","results":[{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"396489_68815852","adminTags":null,"views":649,"createdBy":7918844,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"Lottery Lawyers Tell Duped Winner \"Too Bad\"","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2629305,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"3 Nov 2009 13:04:34 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"anonymous_user","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1172006","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"This man needs to move on, IT is his own FALT we have been hearing for years now to SIGN YOUR TICKET WHEN YOU BUY IT..... That is all he had to do and he would not be broke.<br />I am sorry that it happened to him. Lesson learned the hard way"},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"396489_68815852","adminTags":null,"views":649,"createdBy":9220988,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"Lottery Lawyers Tell Duped Winner \"Too Bad\"","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2629305,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"3 Nov 2009 13:57:23 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"Fishflinger","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1172403","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"The lawyers need to go back and read their Business Law books with regards to Bearer Instruments. <br />"},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"396489_68815852","adminTags":null,"views":649,"createdBy":7918844,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"Lottery Lawyers Tell Duped Winner \"Too Bad\"","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2629305,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"3 Nov 2009 14:31:10 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"anonymous_user","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1172713","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"The old saying - "Possession is 90% of the law" - certainly applies here. I agree with poster above. This guy needs to learn his lesson, lick his wound and move on."},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"396489_68815852","adminTags":null,"views":649,"createdBy":7918844,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"Lottery Lawyers Tell Duped Winner \"Too Bad\"","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2629305,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"3 Nov 2009 16:45:18 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"anonymous_user","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1173951","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"So if Joshi has been indicted on claiming a lottery prize by fraud, then the commission agrees that the money does not belong to him. They've seized Joshi's account so that the money cannot be spent, but they are refusing to give anything to Willis, the rightful owner. So basically, the Lottery Commission gets to keep the remaining prize money. This sounds to me like another case of the government being greedy pigs. At this stage of the game, Willis should know that nothing the government does with money is fair or just and they will do anything to take it from you. I feel very sorry for this man. This is why I don't play the lottery. They are all a bunch of bottom feeding, greedy leeches who would let you starve to death if it meant making a penny for themselves. "},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"396489_68815852","adminTags":null,"views":649,"createdBy":7918844,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"Lottery Lawyers Tell Duped Winner \"Too Bad\"","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2629305,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"3 Nov 2009 17:45:04 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"anonymous_user","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1174778","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"Actually if you re-read the article it says that the "Travis County District Attorney's Office has frozen an account believed to belong to Joshi" not the Texas Lottery Commission. It sounds to me like law enforcement is trying to help him, but the Texas Lottery Commission isn't. Sorry. I guess your rant on how the government is trying to steal everyone's money was pointless. "}],"error":"","totPages":3}