Lottery Winnings Purchased on Stolen Credit Card Seized

14 Jul 2009

Tags: humour|news|goodenow|lottery

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In events reminiscent of TV show 'My Name is Earl', an American methamphetamine addict won US$1 million in a state lottery - then lost the lot because she purchased the ticket using a dead woman's credit card.

Thirty-eight year old Christina Goodenow of White City, Oregon, won the grand prize in the Million Dollar Jackpot Scratch-It game she purchased with her groceries. The purchase was paid for on a credit card issued in the name of her then-boyfriend's deceased mother who has passed away more than a year earlier.

Goodenow abandoned her groceries and travelled to Salem that afternoon to claim her prize from the Oregon Lottery headquarters. She was awarded the first instalment of $33,500. The $1 million prize is paid in annual increments of $50,000 per year ($33,500 after tax) over twenty years.

Two weeks after her win, Oregon detectives began tracking Goodenow after an investigation into fraudulent credit card purchases. During execution of a search warrant on her home, state police located the credit card, statements and receipts, including the receipt which showed she purchased the winning ticket using the stolen credit card. They also found a small quantity of methamphetamines.

Goodenow was charged with aggravated theft, forgery, cheating and possession of amphetamines. She pleaded guilty and agreed to serve a six month jail sentence with an additional two years probation. The judge also ordered she forfeit her lottery winnings as proceeds of crime and awarded the money to the Medford Police Department.