A Texas woman has been arrested for stealing her cousin’s USD 1 million scratchcard winnings after he entrusted her to cash the prize so he could remain anonymous.
Iris Amador Argueta, 32, who comes from Houston, Texas, is also accused of forging lottery documents to throw her cousin off the scent after only transferring a small amount of the USD-1-million (GBP-747,155) jackpot to him in Long Island, New York, according to Nassau County prosecutors on Tuesday.
According to NBC New York, the Long Island winner bought a USD-5 (GBP-3.7) New York State ‘Hold ’Em Poker’ scratchcard at a 7-Eleven store in the city of Glen Cove in October.
After scooping the jackpot, he asked his cousin to claim the lottery win on his behalf for a fee of USD 50,000 (GBP 37,335) so he could remain anonymous, according to prosecutors.
The victim’s prosecution team also said that she drove to New York State to collect the ticket before mailing it to the lottery company due to COVID-19 restrictions.
According to prosecutors, the woman sent her cousin a fake document from the lottery company along with USD 13,436 (GBP 10,032) in cash, claiming that New York State withheld the rest for taxes.
They also accused the suspect of receiving a USD-537,440 (GBP-401,298) lump sum after the New York authorities issued a statement championing the man’s jackpot win.
Prosecutors said the suspect threatened her cousin with legal action after he confronted her over the incident.
Officials in Nassau County in New York State said they have already recovered over half the stolen amount from the suspect’s bank account.
Acting District Attorney Joyce Smith said: “This defendant exploited her cousin’s trust, allegedly lying and manipulating him with the aim of pocketing the lion’s share of his USD 1 million winning lottery ticket for herself.
“Thanks to a great working partnership with the Glen Cove Police Department, we’ve recovered more than USD 300,000 in allegedly stolen funds and will vigorously prosecute this case.”
The suspect has been charged with grand larceny and could face up to 15 years in jail if convicted.
