Valid $179 Million Lost Lottery Ticket Turned In- Battle Looms Over 'Lost Property'

Detroit Free Press ^ | 1/6/04

[11th Earl of Mar]

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Someone turned in a valid ticket for the $162 million Mega Millions multistate lottery jackpot, the Ohio Lottery said Tuesday, a day after a Cleveland woman claimed she lost the winning ticket outside the convenience store where it was sold.

[BJungNan]

The judge should hold up the ticket and tell them if they can not decide among themselves, he will tear the ticket in two and award each of them a half.

[Bikers4Bush]

She picked them at random two years ago so what? I've done that a number of times. Picked a random set of numbers and played them repeatedly.

Why is it so hard for you to believe that the scam artist is a liar and that the true winner is not?

I don't get it.

[smith288]

Who do I trust in this battle???

Mrs Jamison, who is married and a nurse ooooor Mrs Battle, who is thrice divorced and has 7 kids? I shouldnt judge people but im human...and Mrs Battle is about as untrusting to look at as Lil' Kim.

[Pagey]

In addition she waited until Friday to file a police report, the drawing was on Tuesday.

That fact alone throws her whole "crying bit" into doubt.She didn't look for the ticket on Tuesday? That suggests she had 3 days to build up enough fake tears for the police. Cold? Perhaps, but here in Calif., you at least have to sign your name to the ticket, and we do that w/ a PEN that guarantees whoever could find it and turn it in, would probably be charged w/ fraud. I don't believe this lady's story.

[mabelkitty]

No, it was on the police report.

[mabelkitty]

Riight.
And what did Jemison look like before she went to an attorney and said "my husband stole this ticket and we have to get the money".

[lelio]

Mrs Battle, who is thrice divorced and has 7 kids

That just increases the pool of numbers for birthdays for both kids and ex-husbands that she can select after the fact. Heck, she can almost cover any number picked.

[Bikers4Bush]

I couldn't agree more.

[BJungNan]

I hope they come to agreement to split it half and half after taxes.

I'm with you. The odds she is faking is very low, especially if she reported it lost before the numbers were announced but even after they were announced. How would she know where the ticket was won.

If it can be proved she bought it, it should still be a split winnings though.

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

If I had found the ticket I would give it back to her, but then I saw her hat and decided that I would cash it in and buy an island.

[hobbes1]

As I said earlier, We know definitely that there are 4 toher sets of numbers on that ticket, so Ms.Battle had better be able to recount those as well, since Ms.Jamison apparently has the bet slip, and older tickets.

(The news reporting is probably not as exact on this as we would like, but it should be.)

[smith288]

And what did Jemison look like before she went to an attorney and said "my husband stole this ticket and we have to get the money".

I would imagine she looked presentable and respectable since she is a nurse. I doubt they look like ghetto hood rats in Cleveland's hospitals and Dr's offices.

[Bikers4Bush]

The location where the ticket was sold was known before the store opened at 5:00 a.m. The store owner didn't even know what was going on when he pulled up and there were reporters waiting for him.

She had three days to make up her story about how she picked the numbers and lost the ticket. She's a liar and a fraud and she should be sent to jail.

[smith288]

We know definitely that there are 4 toher sets of numbers on that ticket, so Ms.Battle had better be able to recount those as well, since Ms.Jamison apparently has the bet slip, and older tickets.

On could also find the ticket and then proceed to get a bet slip and fill it out with the exact numbers. But its still not needed with Lottery tickets. That who posesses the ticket is deemed the winner. So sorry Mrs Battle.

[mabelkitty]

She picked the numbers at random. Then she said she's been playing the same numbers for two years.

That alone is contradictory.

Plus, Battles knew the date and time of sale. That's a whopper.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

And what did Jemison look like before she went to an attorney and said "my husband stole this ticket and we have to get the money".

Huh? Why do you feel so passionately that the first woman's story is particularly credible?

[mabelkitty]

You don't live in Cleveland, do you.
I do.

[Cooter]

So how would the fraud know the other sets that were on the winning ticket?

If the "ticket-loser" is a fraud, she wouldn't know the other sets of numbers(unless she had inside information from someone at the Lottery Commission).

If the "ticket-finder" is a fraud, she would know them because they're printed on the ticket.

Was there any report of the ticket-loser identifying any other sets of numbers on the ticket?

[Bikers4Bush]

She picked them at random TWO YEARS ago and has been playing them since.

The fact that she knew the date and time is no whopper. There are a number of ways she could have found that out in three days. Hell the store owner knew that info so no doubt others did and passed along that info.

[T.Smith]

I'm so with you on this...