RSS FeedThe lottery millionaire and the purloined plastic
Well, that was little more than a fancy way to lead into this story from the LV Sun about a woman who used a stolen credit card to buy a lottery ticket–and is paying the price:
A Southern Oregon woman used a stolen credit card to buy a state lottery scratch-it ticket that was worth $1 million, police said.
Christina Goodenow, 38, of White City was lodged without bail in the Jackson County Jail on charges of theft, forgery, identity theft, credit card fraud, possession of methamphetamine, computer crime and a parole violation.
If convicted, Goodenow will not be able to collect the prize money because fraud was used to purchase the winning ticket, police said.
Oregon Lottery officials refused to discuss specifics of the case, citing the active investigation.
“I’ll be fascinated to see how this shakes out,” 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 in Central Point, using a credit card that belonged to her mother-in-law, Inez Cornett, who died more than a year ago, police said.
Goodenow made the trip Oct. 12 to Oregon Lottery headquarters in Salem to accept a check of $33,500. The $1 million grand prize is paid out over 20 years.
Medford police detectives began tracking Goodenow on Oct. 26 after learning that she had used the credit card to purchase items throughout the Rogue Valley, including the $1 million lottery ticket, said Lt. Tim George of the Medford Police Department.
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.
Just deserts, I guess. I just want to know the logic that a person would employ to use a stolen credit card to buy a lottery ticket, which is sure to bring a lot of attention on the winner. I guess the meth connection explains it.
That $33,500 didn’t last long, did it?
Posted in gambling & culture, haphazard world
