Two Men Sued for Falsely Claiming $100,000 Lotto Prize
A female lotto player from Alberta has accused two men of falsely trying to claim the $100,000 that one of her Lotto 6/49 tickets had won.
The victim Colleen Platzer filed a claim in the Court of Queen's Bench, Edmonton, in which she stated that Wesley Smith had agreed to check at a gas station in Fairview if any of her Lotto 6/49 tickets had turned out to be winners, on Dec 11, 2013, a month after the draw was held on October 19, 2013. According to 43-year-old Platzer, 26-year-old Smith had informed her that none of the Lotto tickets had won although one of them had won a $100,000 prize.
In her claim statement, Platzer said that, on December 17, 2013, Smith went to the office of the Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC), which is located in St. Albert, and tried to claim the winnings. She alleged that he had scratched out her name from the ticket and inserted his own. However, he did not receive the winnings as the signature box was scratched.
On Dec 23, 2013, Platzer informed the WCLC that she is the owner of the Lotto 6/49 ticket that had won the $100,000 prize.
Man Claims to be Part Owner of Winning Ticket
In her claim statement, Platzer has also accused Kenneth Carty of wrongfully claiming that he is part owner of the $100,000 winning Lotto ticket. Carty is accused of having done so on May 1, 2014.
She further said in her statement that the WCLC had placed the $100,000 Lotto prize money in trust with the Court of Queen's Bench, on July 23, because of the lawsuit associated with it. Justice Donna Shelley had then ruled that a civil trial should be held to identify and name the rightful owner of the ticket. According to the lawsuit, Carty's and Smith's conduct is "criminal in nature, namely theft and fraud." The petitioner has also urged the court to rule that the two men should bear the entire legal cost. Smith Already in Legal Trouble
In the meantime, Smith has already been charged with theft of more than $5,000 and fraud involving more than $5000. Although he was scheduled to appear before a Fairview court, around 560km to Edmonton's northwest on March 26, he did not turn up. As a result, an arrest warrant was issued and the police have launched a manhunt for him.
