Authorities in Austin, Texas believe that a twenty five year old convenience store employee stole a customer’s $1 million winning lottery ticket and then claimed the prize. The employee then left town and is believed to have returned to his native country of Nepal.

The employee, Pankaj Joshi, took Willis Willis’ winning Mega Millions megaplier ticket after Willis asked Joshi to check the ticket to see if he had won. This occurred back in May. Joshi found the ticket to be a winner and claimed the prize which was about $750,000 after taxes. Joshi claimed the prize in Austin and then had the money wired to a bank account and then disappeared.

"Never to this degree have we seen a clerk steal a megaplier winning ticket," assistant district attorney Patty Robertson said Wednesday.

Joshi’s former manager at the convenience store became suspicious in July after hearing that his store had sold the winning ticket. He then called the lottery commission and told them of his suspicions. No one at the store expected Joshi to do something like this.

Joshi has been attending the University of Texas in Arlington and he had worked at the store for five years. He has now been charged with one count of claiming a lottery prize by fraud. If he is convicted, he could face up to twenty years in prison.


- 2009-10-22