Woman Bought $1 Million Lottery Ticket With Stolen Credit Card

DOH!

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MEDFORD, Ore. -- A woman bought a winning lottery ticket worth $1 million with a stolen credit card and could wind up with nothing if convicted, police said.

Christina Goodenow, 38, of White City in southern Oregon faced numerous theft-related charges, forgery and possession of methamphetamine, said authorities, who searched her home Thursday. The card belonged to a deceased relative, they said.

If convicted of any of the charges, Goodenow will not be able to collect prize money from the winning ticket, said police Lt. Tim George.

Oregon Lottery officials refused to discuss specifics of the case because an investigation is still under way.

"I'll be fascinated to see how this shakes out," Lottery spokesman Chuck Baumann said. "In my 12 years with the Oregon Lottery, this is the first time I've encountered something like this."

Goodenow purchased the winning ticket Oct. 9 using a credit card that had belonged to her mother-in-law, who died more than a year ago, police said.

http://www.wftv.com/irresistible/5196796/detail.html

that is pretty sad.

At the very least it's some sort of fraudulent purchase.

If she had used the stolen card to purchase clothing, jewelery, home electronics, etc, she wouldn't be allowed to keep those items either.

It would be cool if the money went to the person the card was stolen from, but that's very unlikely to happen.

:crazy:

so the retailer may have screwed up...There is a different reimbursement scheme for gambling chips, and I would think lottery tickets would count on this front.

the dead person.. (hopefully she is not that heir)

The million dollar prize isn't relevant from a legal sense, the only thing that needs to be settled is the ownership of the lottery ticket.

The ownership of the ticket WILL end up in the hands of the government, and here's why: In just about every state in this nation, legally purchased items obtained using illegally gained income is subject to forfeiture upon prosecution. This is why they can seize homes and cars when they bust drug users...they're considered to be fruits of the original crime.

Likewise, the family of the dead woman has no claim on this money. The woman didn't purchase it or express any intent to purchase it, so there is zero legal claim to the ticket. If someone steals my credit card and buys a car with it, I can petition for restitution of the money I'm out, but there's no legal claim for me to demand ownership of the car.

Most municipalities have laws to deal with property like this. Typically the property is auctioned or sold, and the proceeds are returned to the local government. In this case, the local government will probably walk away with the winning ticket and cash it in.

It would be a fitting conclusion if they'd use it to fund local anti-drug programs!

Rotten Teeth?
check!

Face like Ty Cobbs baseball glove?
check!

Cashing in just enough bottles to buy a loosey or some rollie instead of a pack of cigs?
Check!

Parking a stolen bicycle out front and using a flashlight for a headlight?
Check!

Using a credit card of a deceased relative to buy a lotto ticket
?
Oh Yeah!

(priceless)

I think the heirs of the deceased credit card holder could make a compelling case that it should go to them. However, merchandise fraudulently purchased with a stolen credit card doesn't go to the rightful credit card holder, if it is recovered at all. If someone steals your credit card and buys a diamond ring, they aren't going to turn that diamond ring over to you. So, is a lottery prize part of the package of stolen merchandise? If so, it should probably go back to the state lottery where they decide what happens to it.

After all, the use of teh card of the dead person doens't use her money, or her credit. It's on the company's dime.

How it usually works is if the merchant followed security measures, such as checking that signatures matched, etc. and the merchandise is never recovered, then the credit card company eats the loss. If it is proven that the merchant did not, than the merchant may very well take the hit. Since the merchandise is effectively recovered, I do believe (but I'm not 100% certain) that it will either go back to the merchant or the credit card company. This is such an unusual case; I really don't know what will happen. It's purely speculation on my part.

The more I think the money will go back to the lottery. I just can't see how any family member can claim that prize, unless any one of them were co-named to that credit account. If no one was, than it should have been closed, and no use by anyone would be authorized.

I'd hate to have to sort this mess out..my guess is no one is going to end up winning that lottery money.

Lottery tickets are supposed to be purchased with cash or check.

As for the woman, she should not be able to keep it. If she bought anything else using stolen credit card, she wouldn't be able to keep it. So, why should she be allowed to keep the winning money?

I know that you can only use cash around here, but I thought that might just be a state thing.

So that may have been one of the provisions to get it passed here. The first time I bought a power ball ticket a couple of weeks ago for the big jackpot, I didn't know and tried to use a credit card, and they wouldn't take it. It had to be cash. It probably varies from state to state.

In my hometown most retailers (gas stations mainly) will not accept a check for tickets either.

Can I use a credit card to pay for Lottery tickets? What about a check?
The State Lottery Act prohibits purchase of tickets by credit or with Food Stamps. Retailers, at their own discretion, may accept a check for tickets. Retailers can accept a debit card for payment.
http://www.txlottery.org/faq/morequestions.cfm