{"id":1489540,"date":"2021-11-11T11:26:11","date_gmt":"2021-11-11T11:26:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vegasslotsonline.com\/news\/?p=126834"},"modified":"2021-11-11T11:26:11","modified_gmt":"2021-11-11T11:26:11","slug":"texan-woman-faces-15-years-in-prison-for-stealing-cousins-1m-new-york-lottery-prize","status":"publish","type":"station","link":"https:\/\/platogaming.com\/plato-data\/texan-woman-faces-15-years-in-prison-for-stealing-cousins-1m-new-york-lottery-prize\/","title":{"rendered":"Texan Woman Faces 15 Years in Prison for Stealing Cousin\u2019s $1m New York Lottery Prize"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Iris Amador Argueta, 32, is facing up to 15 years in prison after authorities arrested and charged her for illegally cashing in her cousin\u2019s $1m New York Lottery Hold \u2018Em Poker prize-winning ticket.<\/p>\n
The Nassau County District Attorney (NCDA) office charged Argueta on Tuesday this week, the same day she surrendered to the Glen Cove Police Department in New York.<\/p>\n
\nArgueta\u2019s cousin asked her to cash in his winning $1m scratch-off ticket<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
According to a joint press release from the NCDA and Glen Cove PD, Argueta\u2019s cousin asked her to cash in his winning $1m scratch-off ticket because he wanted to remain anonymous. As a thank you for cashing the ticket, Argueta would receive a $50,000 cut.<\/p>\n
The offender then proceeded to claim the cash for herself, lying to her family member that the ticket had won significantly less.<\/p>\n
How did she do it?<\/h2>\n
Argueta allegedly mailed her cousin\u2019s winning ticket \u2014 purchased for $5 at a 7-Eleven in Glen Cove in October 2020 \u2014 to the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) from her Virginia address to claim the winnings. The 32-year-old, who now lives in Houston, Texas, opted to receive the prize as a one-off lump sum payment totaling over $537,000.<\/p>\n
Due to COVID-19 precautions in October 2020, the NYSGC would not accept winning tickets in person, which is why Argueta supposedly mailed the ticket to the gaming body on November 13, 2020.<\/div>\nAfter receiving the prize money, Argueta allegedly lied to her family member, claiming that the lottery ticket only won $20,000. Argueta even presented her cousin with forged paperwork from lottery officials detailing the winnings, according to Glen Cove PD.<\/p>\n
The lottery thief\u2019s ruse was up when her cousin spotted an official New York Lottery press release stating that Argueta had claimed the $1m lottery win and opted for a $500,000+ payout.<\/p>\n
Betrayal of family trust<\/h2>\n
Despite confronting Argueta with his knowledge of the New York Lottery press release,<\/a> the defendant allegedly insisted that she did not have any additional money for her cousin. If he continued to contact her, she said he would suffer legal consequences. <\/p>\n
\ntwo counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n