First, if someone used someone else's card who was still living to purchase the winning lottery ticket, who gets the winnings? Since the card belongs to someone who's deceased, do the winnings go to the estate, or just to the state? This is a tricky one...
Police: Woman Used Stolen Card in Lottery
Fri Oct 28, 8:13 AM ET
MEDFORD, Ore. - A woman bought a winning lottery ticket worth $1 million with a stolen credit card and could wind up with nothing if convicted, police said.
Christina Goodenow, 38, of White City in southern Oregon faced numerous theft-related charges, forgery and possession of methamphetamine, said authorities, who searched her home Thursday. The card belonged to a deceased relative, they said.
If convicted of any of the charges, Goodenow will not be able to collect prize money from the winning ticket, said police Lt. Tim George.
Oregon Lottery officials refused to discuss specifics of the case because an investigation is still under way.
"I'll be fascinated to see how this shakes out," Lottery spokesman Chuck Baumann said. "In my 12 years with the Oregon Lottery, this is the first time I've encountered something like this."
Goodenow purchased the winning ticket Oct. 9 using a credit card that had belonged to her mother-in-law, who died more than a year ago, police said.
Goodenow traveled to Oregon Lottery headquarters in Salem on Oct 12 to accept an installment payment of $33,500. The $1 million grand prize is paid out over 20 years.
Detectives began tracking Goodenow on Wednesday after learning that she had used the credit card to purchase several items, including the ticket.
A search warrant served at her home Thursday turned up some methamphetamine, but little money, George said.
"Our investigation is still trying to determine what happened to the $33,500," George said.
I'd let her keep the money, but pay for her crimes. So maybe when she gets out of jail, she can have some money to fall back on and not go back to her former lifestyle!
I think legally the money goes to the state, but I don't think that's right. I think the money should go to the estate of the deceased whose card she stole. It's also possible she would still some of it, depending on the will. But no matter what, she should definately pay for her crimes.
Yeah but if you stole the money and it was cash you stole, it might be harder to prove and so I think how you got the money should be irrelevant. What happens to it, should count.
Any purchase made with that card is considered stolen from the cardholder or the company guaranteeing against fraud or theft.
from a legal standpoint, unless she can prove the card wasnt used to buy that ticket...she is out of luck
Also, with her chemical dependency issues...having that much money could be a ticket to an overdose....so much money and free time with the drug habit...not good.
This sounds like an episode of "My Name is Earl"
When you do bad things ...bad things happen to you.
