Friday, December 4, 2009

Store owner admits lottery fraud

This type of fraud is far more difficult now. But the store owner must have been remarkably thick to think no one would notice his new-found wealth.

Store owner admits lottery fraud

http://m.torontosun.com/News/Toronto-et-GTA/12040061.1

A Toronto convenience store-owner admitted today he ripped off four lottery winners for a $5.75-million jackpot by claiming their winning Lotto 6/49 ticket as his own.

Hafiz Malik, 62, pleaded guilty to fraud over $5,000 in front of Madam Justice Rebecca Shamai for pilfering the lottery ticket, which belonged to Lorraine Teicht, Paul Carlisi and sisters-in-law Silvana Pincivero and Aurora Pincivero, all school staff workers.

Crown attorney Philip Perlmutter said the four victims played the same numbers for several years and Teicht checked their winning June 2004 ticket at Malik's store, Mike Lotto at 1507 Dupont.

Teicht, who bought the ticket in Orillia near her houseboat, handed Malik her ticket and he didn't tell her she was holding a jackpot-winning ticket.

Instead, Malik kept her ticket and then cashed it as his own at Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation offices.
James Morton
1100-5255 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
M2N 6P4

416 225 2777

4 comments:

The Mound of Sound said...

Here's a question. Why is sentencing put off until mid-March? Are the courts that backed up? Surely pre-sentencing reports don't take that long.

James C Morton said...

Good point. A PSR takes a month. Likely there is some deal on sentence depending on him fining money and so he is given time to sell assets.

Lottery winners said...

This is a serious issue and needs to be handled with right jurisdiction. The guilty should be punished so that other people learns from this fraud and don't try to cheat people. I strongly condemn the fraud done by Hafiz Malik, but I also appreciate his admitting his crime in front of the court.

Keep blogging.

Regards,
Lottery winners

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