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Lottery worker faces fraud charges in mystery Hot Lotto case

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January 15th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa officials say a lottery employee has been arrested after being identified as the mystery winner of a multimillion-dollar Hot Lotto ticket that baffled investigators for years. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said Thursday that 51-year-old Eddie Raymond Tipton, of Norwalk, faces two felony counts of fraud. He is being held at the Polk County Jail.

Tipton is the security director for the Multi-State Lottery Association in Iowa. Officials say he bought the Hot Lotto ticket in 2010, despite being legally prohibited. He is accused of asking others to claim the ticket. A New York lawyer in 2011 waited shortly before the one-year deadline to try to claim the ticket but later withdrew. Authorities say the case remains under investigation.