Evidence mounts against defendant in Mega Millions lawsuit

Jul 30, 2004, 8:04 am (16 comments)

Mega Millions

Stephen Kyle may have to reconsider his retirement plans.

Kyle, an Olmsted Falls mail carrier, won $175,000 in the Mega Millions lottery last month but neglected to tell 19 co-workers in his lottery club.

Kyle called the ticket a godsend, arriving just as he was preparing to file for bankruptcy. He said he hoped to retire within three years.

Kyle, 51, of Amherst, told his deflated colleagues that he used $10 from his own pocket to buy the $175,000 ticket.

The $100 from the club produced a measly $2 winner, said Kyle, the club's designated ticket-buyer.

But seven suspicious postal workers didn't buy Kyle's story and sued him in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.

Robert Smith III, their Cleveland lawyer, said the lawsuit looks like a winner based on computerized sales records provided by the Ohio Lottery that he examined on Thursday.

The records confirm Kyle's winning ticket was one of 10 bought in a block about 12:42 p.m., June 25, at Shaker's IGA convenience store on Bagley Road in Olmsted Township.

But they fail to support a key detail of Kyle's story, showing that, at 1:19 p.m., on June 24 the day Kyle insisted he spent $100 on tickets for the club he actually spent only $50.

"What did he do with the rest of the money?" Smith asked.

"Until he can account for the rest of these tickets, he can't say that the $10 he spent on the winning ticket is his. He has to account for the club's money first."

If the plaintiffs prevail in court, the club members would collect about $6,000 each after taxes and legal bills, Smith said.

Plain Dealer

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starchild_45's avatarstarchild_45

this is why i don't want to be part of a lottery club. you can trust the b******s!!! i hope they get all the money including his share.

rabbitfoot's avatarrabbitfoot

Most people can't be trusted with their own money let alone someone elses.  How many people do you know that never balance a checkbook and live payday to payday trying to keep up with their credit cards?  Give a loser $100 and he/she are going to try to CHEAT you- everytime!

Michael E. Port's avatarMichael E. Port

This story is sad.  I started a Mega Million Lottery Pool about six months ago where I work.  What I do is collect $10 from every member and we play for 10 draws.  This works out to be a month.

This is my sixth game and my latest members total 15.  I spend $150 dollars on 15 numbers for one month.  The tickets that I'm looking at are from Friday July 16th, 2004 thru Tuesday August 17th, 2004.  So far this group has won $7.00.

The game before this; Club Five, they were very lucky. We only had 12 people in that club and only paid $120 for our tickets.  On the last day we won $150; our total winning for the month $168 (I think).

I know that I was able to buy $100 in Mega Million tickets and I Megplied them.  And at that time the Texas Lottery was bigger than the Mega Million and my group wanted to play in that game.  I was able to spend the remaining money in Texas Lottery.

So Club Five ending up playing for 2 months in two different games for the original $10 share.

I am usually off on Friday and Saturday, so I check our tickets and then write up an update for our members.  I then e-mail everyone, and for those who don't have e-mail get a printed copy.

It would be almost impossible to cheat my group, because I give them copies of their tickets with their first newsletter.  I included in that first newsletter things like the dates were playing, the web sites to visit to check their tickets.

I try to make the newsletter interesting, colorful and fun.  I copied the article about this Postal Work in this week's edition.

It has been fun.  For me sometimes it a little stressful to keep 15 updated, but I believe we we play long enough, we are going to win.

So while this story about the man is sad, and I'm sure it's true, it's not want everyone does.  There are many success groups out there.

I would be terrified to cheat my group.  Maybe no one in my group would ever know, but God would, and I'm scare to death of HIM.

My advice:  If you are invited to play in a pool with a group of friends or co-workers, or even church members, go ahead.  It can be fun and profitable.  If nothing else, you just increased your chances to win some money.

Michael

hypersoniq's avatarhypersoniq

There is a large $5 per week pool for powerball where I work. They asked if I wanted to join, I asked how many members and how they pick their numbers...

they have 30 in the pool and play all quick picks... I passed. they would need to hit a huge jackpot to have any decent payoff

Michael E. Port's avatarMichael E. Port
Quote: Originally posted by hypersoniq on July 31, 2004



"they have 30 in the pool and play all quick picks... I passed. they would need to hit a huge jackpot to have any decent payoff"





I understand everyone wanting to win a huge jackpot, even my group wants to win a huge one.  But, everyone us have said that we will take want God gives us and be happy. 

You mentioned in your comment that the group plays only quick picks.  Do you not like quick picks? 

I use to like to pick my own numbers, and sometimes I still do.  I might tell you that your odds are greater with Quick Pick.  My group knows first hand. 

I beleive is the the 3rd Club, we weren't winning enought money, and everyone wanted to pick there own numbers.    I think that I had 13 in the group and 10 of our 13 numbers were picked by one of more members in the club.

At the end of that club, we only won one time.  It was on one of the Quick Pick numbers.  NONE of the number the group had picked won even a dime.  Needless to say, the group now wants our tickets to be quick pick numbers. 

The group only does CASH OPTION.  My personal tickets are always annual payments.  I am looking for a large income, I don't care about being rich.

Michael

hypersoniq's avatarhypersoniq

It's not like playing the game with just a few tickets... they can pick 75 sets of numbers for each draw, there are weeks where the QP's don't have the powerball...

with 75 shots, 42 of them should wheel the powerballs... you could wheel all of the numbers in 11 lines, you could do this 6 times in that number...

They could create the opportunity by having all of the numbers covered... they could pick'em however, just as long as they potential for a hit was totally covered.

Of course no guarantees, but for 6 sets of 11 numbers they would have 5 of 5 within each 11 line set (sooner or later they might get lucky) playing all 42 pb numbers would guarantee that hit, and they could fill in the rest of the 66 lines with the 24 most popular numbers, the remaining 9 tickets could be QPs.

they have been at it since PB came to PA and had no notable hits.

Live and let live, they are happy doing what they are doing, I am happy doing what I'm doing... I'm not saying pools are a bad thing, I just think that with 75 picks a draw, they could employ a little strategy... even a simple wheel

Denali

What are "greater" odds?....  Odds of winning are independent of the manner of number selection.  70% of jackpot wins are quick picks because 70% of ALL picks are quick picks.

Best of luck to all of you REGARDLESS of how you pick your numbers.

Littleoldlady's avatarLittleoldlady

It is sad that the guy was so crappy to try and steal the club members money.  I ran two lottery clubs for playing the cash 5 and I would make sure everyone had copies of the tickets and knew how much we had spent.  I would normally play 40 plays for about a month but would wheel them into some kind of order.  Our club dissolved but some of the members still play those same numbers..and NO ONE cheated or stole. I just don't understand people thinking it is alright to steal from someone else..where have our morals gone?

RJOh's avatarRJOh

Lottery pools work fine until they win over $600.  Over $600 and someone got to pay some extra taxes at the end of the year and members don't want to give up 30% to the guy cashing the ticket unless it's big money.  If it's big enough each member can pay their own taxes after filling out the right forms to get a personal W-G form at the end of the year.  People who give someone $100 to buy tickets and don't see proof of purchase before the drawing is just asking for trouble.  You would think with all the stories about lottery pools that have gone wrong, such things would not happen any more.  Sounds like if this guy was going to cheat his friends, he should have quit the pool, laid low and waited until the last  minute to cash in the ticket, maybe they would have not made the connection.  Being crooked and dumb are two character flaws that goes together a lot. 

RJOh

CASH Only

Mr Port:

You will NEVER hit the jackpot on annuity tickets.

Nancy

I am in a lottery pool at work. We buy 10 of the $10.00 scratch off tickets at the same store every Friday. The people at the store know we are in a pool. When I want to buy tickets just for me, I use another store. So, if I happen to win.. they know it is not the pool's money. So far with the pool in buying the 10.00 ticktets we are netting about $ 50.00 to the good now. We are hoping to hit the big one.

Todd's avatarTodd

Nancy,

That's great advice!  Also, great job on your lottery pool - it's rare to hear one doing so well.  Does you pool pick its own numbers, or do you get Quick Picks?

Michael E. Port's avatarMichael E. Port
Quote: Originally posted by CASH Only on August 12, 2004



Mr Port:

You will NEVER hit the jackpot on annuity tickets.





Why will in NEVER hit the jackpot with annuity tickets?  I was looking for a large yearly income.  There have been lots of people who win who picked the annuity rather than cash option.

 

Michael

CASH Only

Mr Port:

If you win, it'll be in the group of CASH tickets.

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