Police arrest four in Chicago lottery ticket scam

Nov 8, 2009, 8:53 am (10 comments)

Scam Alert

Police arrested two men and two women earlier this week who allegedly ran a lottery ticket scam that targeted elderly Hispanic victims.

The four worked as a team and typically sought out elderly Hispanic victims at stores and on the street, according to a release from the Chicago Police.

The suspects would approach a victim two at a time and explain they were illegal immigrants and had a winning lottery ticket of more than one million dollars. They would then offer to share the winnings if the elderly victim gave money in good faith.

The suspects persuaded about five victims to give between $5,000 to $50,000 and/or jewelry with the promise that the victims would share in the lottery winnings. The combined loss of the five victims was about $110,000, the release said. The suspects also attempted to defraud two other victims of $50,000.

John Garcia, 30 of the 4700 block of South Karlov Avenue, was charged with three counts of theft by deception and one count of attempted theft by deception.

William Velasquez-Ortiz, 43, of the 2000 block of North Milwaukee Avenue, was charged with one count of theft by deception and two counts of attempted theft by deception.

Janet Cruz, 39, of the 3200 block of West Lawrence Avenue, was charged with three counts of theft by deception.

Carmen Perez-Santiago, 62, of the 3200 block of West Lawrence Avenue was charged with one count of theft by deception.

News story photo(Click to display full-size in gallery)

Chicago Sun-Times

Comments

Raven62's avatarRaven62

Prey on the weak: Meet the Strong Arm of the Law!

The sad thing is: For every Criminal put in Jail: It Costs the Tax Payers $50,000/yr to keep them there!

Kidzmom's avatarKidzmom

NC needs to open up an investigation on the new owners of the corner country store to get them also.  I've reported what happened to me there to the NC authorities but I guess they will need more compliaints before they look into it.  I bought 6 Pick 3 tickets there, and only received 5 back.  Now they charged me $6 for the tix.  I never left the counter and I counted my tickets out right there.  I even told him what number was missing ! The guy swore he gave me 6, and I told him, I never left away from the counter and that he did not give me my 6th ticket and I wanted my ticket or my money back, well by this time the other clerk was like maybe you left your ticket in your car..I was like lady, I never left this store AND I never left this counter, so I am going to call the police right now unless I get my ticket or my money!  Wellll....low and behold....my ticket magically appeared and I was told oh it printed out late......I told both clerks that they were liars because I know for a fact my ticket did not print out late...  #1.. I have played the VA lottery since it began so I am no stranger to the lottery here in NC!

#2.  The ticket that was missing was  ticket #3 on the playslip that I filled out.  Soooo how could I have tickets 1 to 6 and the 3 was missing. 

#3.  I looked at the ticket printer and there was NO ticket on there and then you pull a ticket from the side of the printer... BULLCHIPS!! 

I told everyone that was in the line what had happened and most of them left the store and a few stayed b/c they said they was not buying tickets.  I have not been back there to get another ticket nor will I ever go back to this particular store!

So if you are in Durham NC don't go to the store that formerly used to be called Pope's on the corner of Cheek Road/Burton Rd. 

Don't even go there to get your tickets checked!  After what that store employee did to that man and stole his winning million dollar ticket, these people will be out the country before you know it.

The store has new owners now and they are shady!

TnTicketlosers's avatarTnTicketlosers

And it's most of the time the people from another country....Let me go somewhere and do that and I would be deheaded...but not here.

PERDUE

 P***ed All of these bass-tards need to be stuck under a Mexican jail and not see the light of day for the next million years. P***ed

Times are hard as hell and these greedy puppies want to prey on folks who are already living on limited funds?!!! P***ed

Hanging is too good for them. Make them pay!!! Make them pay!!! P***edTurkeyP***edP***ed

HaveABall's avatarHaveABall

The article indicated:  "The suspects would approach a victim two at a time and explain they were illegal immigrants and had a winning lottery ticket of more than one million dollars."

Isn't this kindness personified.  Possibly one illegal resident, helping another?  Now that's truly SHARING the luck.  People who were resourceful enough to enter the good 'ole U.S.A. illegally prove that they are able to help themselves to what they want repeatedly.

Also, it's an alarming cost comment #1 about prison!  I wonder why these 4 criminals, and any of their illegal associates, aren't instead deported.  Are these repeat law breakers/law disrespectors simply tried here and then deported/returned to the country that they are legal citizens for the deemed sentance?  Yet, perhaps these four criminal people are U.S.A. citizens, so they can't be deported.

maringoman's avatarmaringoman

I am tired of feeling sorry for the elderly who are smart enough to know that when the deal is too good then something is not right. I mean, they are not small children who dont know better. The criminals should be charged but also the people who get scammed should start using their brains.

Jordans121's avatarJordans121

Either people are getting really creative or people are getting more vulnerable. Which one?

diamondpalace's avatardiamondpalace

They deserved it!

Tenaj's avatarTenaj

Quote: Originally posted by Jordans121 on Nov 9, 2009

Either people are getting really creative or people are getting more vulnerable. Which one?

It's an old scam, just with a lottery twist.

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

Quote: Originally posted by Tenaj on Nov 10, 2009

It's an old scam, just with a lottery twist.

That's right, it's called the "pigeon drop." It's usually used with the ruse that they found a large sum of money and will share it with you if you put up some "good faith" money to show you can be trusted. It's amazing how people keep falling for it through the years.

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