ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — The purchase of a winning $50,000 Atlantic Lotto ticket was not what the buyer bargained for.
Instead of taking a photo with a big cheque, the winner was carted off to the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) headquarters in St. John’s to answer for how the ticket was obtained.
A 33-year-old woman was arrested on Thursday after she allegedly stole a wallet out of a man’s vehicle and used one of the credit cards to purchase lottery products in Paradise on Jan. 22, according to RNC media relations officer Const. James Cadigan.
The theft was reported to police on Jan. 23, a day after the lottery ticket was purchased.
“From there, as soon as we get a report of stolen property, we can quickly trace and obtain information from where the card was used. We do this on all cases like this,” he said.
Once the RNC tracked the transactions, they secured CCTV footage that assisted in the investigation.
The woman was charged with two counts of possessing a stolen credit card and five counts of fraud. She was released to appear in court at a later date.
"We can confirm that a prize was not paid." — Natalie Belliveau, ALC
When reached for comment on Friday, the Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) issued statements on how the matter is being dealt with.
“This involves a matter that is currently before the courts. Atlantic Lottery has no further comment in relation to the charges. We can confirm that a prize was not paid,” Natalie Belliveau, senior communications counsel, stated in a news release sent to The Telegram.
“Without commenting further on this specific situation, we do advise that Atlantic Lottery only pays prizes for lawfully acquired tickets. We have a robust process in place with a series of checks and balances to ensure this.”
The prize was $50,000 and, according to Belliveau, if not paid, this amount will go to ALC’s unclaimed prize account and will be used for future prizes. The corporation says it will continue to monitor the situation.
In connection with the incident, the RNC conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle that brought the 33-year-old woman to the ALC offices on Hallett Crescent. That individual, a 46-year-old woman, was found to be guilty of several motor vehicle infractions including driving while suspended and driving without insurance. She was issued fines and the vehicle was impounded.
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