Willis Willis Goes After the Lottery Commission

Texas lottery ticket buyer seeks depositions

Updated 5:32 PM CDT, Tue, Feb 16, 2010

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A man who says he bought what turned out to be a $1 million Texas lottery ticket but was scammed by a clerk wants to depose some lottery executives.

Attorneys for Willis² have asked a judge in Austin to allow the depositions in what could lead to a lawsuit against the Texas Lottery Commission. The state in general has immunity from such lawsuits.

Lottery authorities declined comment Tuesday.

Willis² said a convenience store clerk in Grand Prairie told him that the ticket that he bought on May 29 was worth just $2.

Authorities believe Pankaj Joshi, who was indicted in September on a charge of claiming a lottery prize by fraud, fled to Nepal after about $750,000 of the prize was transferred to him.

Prosecutors have recovered about $365,000 from U.S. banks.

More: The Willis Willis Court Filing

Willis Willis Wins Big In Court Today

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Willis Willis Wins Big In Court Today

Copyright Associated Press

First Published: Nov 25, 2009 9:45 AM CDT

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OLDEST | RECENT

{"totSize":10,"payload_type":"json","status":"1","results":[{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"396489_73609882","adminTags":null,"views":281,"createdBy":7918844,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"Willis Willis Goes After the Lottery Commission","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2837465,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"25 Nov 2009 16:43:30 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":10,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"anonymous_user","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1309777","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"I am tired of hearing about this gentleman. I do feel bad for him, but the Texas Lottery Commision are not the ones who stole from him, he was robbed by a convenience store clerk. it is sad that it happened, but to expect the lottery Commision to pay twice it is absurd. If someone had held him up at gunpoint, stolen his wallet, found the winning ticket and claimed it would he still be trying to collect? It is the same thing. If law enforcement can catch the criminal who stole from him he can pursue the matter in a civil court, but leave the lottery comission out of it..."},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"396489_73609882","adminTags":null,"views":281,"createdBy":13169073,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"Willis Willis Goes After the Lottery Commission","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2837465,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"25 Nov 2009 17:48:28 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":10,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"boohiss","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1310342","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"^Agreed. The store who employed the clerk owes more to him than the Commission; the store that sells a winner also gets a payday.<br /><br />And it is his own fault for not signing the back of his ticket; something any smart lottery player does once it their possession. If it happens to win, it's secured with your own signature and it would take far more for anybody to claim it as theirs. If it doesn't win, then what is there to lose?<br /><br />Let this man be a lesson.."},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"396489_73609882","adminTags":null,"views":281,"createdBy":7918844,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"Willis Willis Goes After the Lottery Commission","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2837465,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"25 Nov 2009 19:16:07 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":10,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"anonymous_user","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1310941","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"If the prosecutors have recovered $365,000, why doesn't Willis get that money?? Is the state so greedy that all the lawyers get it? At least he would get a bit over one third of the winnings! Any proceeds the store received should go to Willis as well...He was not very smart not to sign the back of the ticket, but he should at least get whatever can be recovered."},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"396489_73609882","adminTags":null,"views":281,"createdBy":7918844,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"Willis Willis Goes After the Lottery Commission","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2837465,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"25 Nov 2009 19:29:49 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":10,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"anonymous_user","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1311042","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"DUDE..... give it UP already!! It is your OWN damn fault for not knowing WHICH numbers were picked, or if you had a WINNING ticket...... now, see if you can follow this ......... YOU WERE ROBBED ....... pure and simple. It is NOT the fault of the lottery comission, or officials, or anyone else, other than YOU and the ROBBER. I bet, if you were the victim of a Ponzi-scheme, or a scam artist that duped you into withdrawing money .... it would be the BANK's FAULT for giving you your money to give to them......? If this goes through (lawsuit --- dumber things have happened...) and you LOSE, I hope everyone you sued turns right around and SUES YOU for attorney fees to pay for a frivilous law-suit...... HAHAHAHAHAHA .... ROTFLMAO...!!!"},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"396489_73609882","adminTags":null,"views":281,"createdBy":18381269,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"Willis Willis Goes After the Lottery Commission","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2837465,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"25 Nov 2009 19:42:36 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":10,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"fb_1529986378","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1311119","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"Since the heads of the Lottery Commission have frozen some accounts of the clerk, claiming fraud, then they themselves acknowledge the theft. So the recovered money SHOULD go to Willis."},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"396489_73609882","adminTags":null,"views":281,"createdBy":9679263,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"Willis Willis Goes After the Lottery Commission","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2837465,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"25 Nov 2009 20:18:01 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":10,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"richard","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1311315","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"What part of the definition of 'gambling' does this man not understand?"},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"396489_73609882","adminTags":null,"views":281,"createdBy":7918844,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"Willis Willis Goes After the Lottery Commission","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2837465,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"25 Nov 2009 20:36:31 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":10,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"anonymous_user","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1311420","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"The way I am reaing it Prosecutors and law enforcement have frozen the accounts. The Lottery commision has no legal authority to freeze anything. You are right, the money belongs to him, and when law enforcement is done prosecuting the case they should return it to its rightful owner, until then it is evidence in a criminal case. Again, the lottery comission has NOTHING to do with criminal prosecutions."},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"396489_73609882","adminTags":null,"views":281,"createdBy":18382345,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"Willis Willis Goes After the Lottery Commission","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2837465,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"25 Nov 2009 20:41:28 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":10,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"fb_1564050470","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1311448","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"the store acted as an agent for the state, when they sold state lottery tickets, the dishonest clerk in all reality is a employee for the state and the state should pay."},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"396489_73609882","adminTags":null,"views":281,"createdBy":12330753,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"Willis Willis Goes After the Lottery Commission","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2837465,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"26 Nov 2009 00:34:01 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":10,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"mmeeks1","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1312590","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"This guy is still a "BAFOON" and not smart enough to have any money. It ain't ever gonna happen!! He would lose his rear-end if it wasn't bolted on!!"},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"396489_73609882","adminTags":null,"views":281,"createdBy":20678467,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"Willis Willis Goes After the Lottery Commission","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2837465,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"18 Feb 2010 05:47:24 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":10,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"Justice62","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1801262","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"What is really despicable is the philosophy that if you've been robbed due to you're own ignorance, the person who robbed you should get away with it. If a fund were started in the name of the true winning ticket holder, I wouldn't hesitate to contribute. The world has too many con-artists, and being more street savvy gives you no right to another person's property. "}],"error":"","totPages":1}

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