Lotto Loser Admits Lying
 

Well... its official now.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...illions_winner

CLEVELAND - A woman admitted through tears Thursday that she lied about losing the winning ticket for a $162 million lottery prize, saying: "I wanted to win so badly for my kids and my family."

Elecia Battle, 40, is dropping her lawsuit to block payment of the 11-state Mega Millions jackpot to the certified winner, her lawyer Sheldon Starke said.


"I wanted to win," Battle said. "The numbers were so overwhelming. I did buy a ticket and I lost it. I wanted to win so bad for my kids and my family. I apologize."


The Cleveland woman had filed a police report saying she lost the ticket, possibly when she dropped her purse outside a convenience store. The lottery dismissed the claim and declared Rebecca Jemison, 34, the winner on Tuesday.


Police Lt. Kevin Nietert said Thursday he expected Battle to be charged with filing a false police report, a misdemeanor punishable by 30 days to six months in jail.


Battle apologized to her husband, her lawyer and Jemison, saying she wanted to use the money to help her family and recently laid-off Cleveland police officers.


"I'm not a bad person, I'm really not," she said. "Everyone has a past."


Lottery officials said they knew the truth all along.


"The Ohio Lottery from the beginning had all the confidence in the world that Rebecca Jemison had the winning ticket and purchased the winning ticket," spokeswoman Mardele Cohen said.


Jemison had provided another lottery ticket purchased at the same time and location and had a lottery ticket that showed she had played the same numbers in the prior drawing, the lottery said.


Battle's police report said the ticket numbers were related to her family, and police initially said she had a credible story because she knew details such as the approximate time the winning ticket was bought.


Police and court records show Battle has a criminal history.


While working at a Richmond Heights pharmacy in 1999, Battle used a customer's credit card number to make purchases, police said. She paid a $450 fine for misuse of a credit card, and a 10-day jail sentence was suspended.


Battle was convicted in 2000 in Cleveland Heights of assault for grabbing a drug store clerk's hair and scratching her, according to police records. Battle got a six-month suspended sentence.


She was convicted of criminal trespassing in 2002 and paid restitution of about $1,250, according to South Euclid court records. Fines were suspended because she was indigent.


Jemison, a hospital telephone operator who lives in suburban South Euclid, qualified for a lump-sum payment of $67.2 million, after taxes.


___

shocker.

Re: Lotto Loser Admits Lying
 

Sounds like she's trying to keep her ass out of jail... :rolleyes:

I just love the underlying logic that trying to "win" the lottery this way was OK because she "wanted to win so badly."

As if everyone buying a lotto ticket doesn't want to win badly.

6 months it is. Book her, Danno.

"Everyone has a past."

Yeah, and now your present sucks and your future doesn't look too good, either. Moron.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - quit effin' lying, you just F it up for the rest of us. One day, someone will lose a winning lottery ticket, or actually not be guilty of killing their pregnant wife or small children, and no one is going to believe it because of people like her, Scott Peterson, and Susan Smith.

I wonder if Maurice Clarett's attorney is available? He should know just how to handle this kind of charge.

Now that completely screws everybody that has a winning lottery ticket and loses it. They will never believe them. :)

You had to know this was coming when they quoted her husband a few days ago as declining comment and "not wanting to incriminate himself".

I have to say that I'm a bit ashamed of Momma today.

pathetic

Eh... put her in jail for a few months and let a few butch ladies in general exact justice at the end of a mophandle.

I read somewhere that Denny Green found the ticket she actually lost. It was a loser.

Lady had little luck of laying claim to lotto. Layabouts like living large on little lies.

And now she's got court issues:
abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20040115_696.html

Woman Pleads No Contest in Mega Case
Woman Who Claimed She Lost Winning $162M Mega Millions Lottery Ticket Pleads No Contest

The Associated Press

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio Jan. 15 — The woman who claimed she lost a winning $162 million Mega Millions lottery ticket pleaded no contest Thursday to lying on a police report.

After entering the plea, Elecia Battle, 40, of Cleveland, was convicted by the judge. She faces a possible penalty of 30 days to six months in jail and $1,000 fine at sentencing Feb. 19.

A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt, but means the defendant will not fight the charges.

Battle had filed a police report after the Dec. 30 Mega Millions drawing, saying she had bought the winning ticket but had lost it, possibly when she dropped her purse outside a convenience store.

When the actual ticket-holder, Rebecca Jemison, 34, of South Euclid, came forward with the winning numbers and was declared the jackpot winner, Battle sued to block payment. She later dropped the lawsuit and tearfully apologized to Jemison.

"I wanted to win so bad for my kids and my family. I apologize," she said at the time. "I'm not a bad person. I'm really not."

Battle has a criminal record that includes assault on a drug store clerk and misuse of another person's credit card.

She and her attorney, Sheldon Starke, left court without making any comment.

Jemison qualified for a lump-sum payment of $67.2 million, after taxes. Mega Millions is played in 11 states.

Well, I guess it's not *just* a tax on people who can't do math anymore. It's a moral thermometer, as well.

Can we throw rocks at her and just be done with this non-story? Move along, folks. Nothing to see here.

SI

She sounds like a lovely lady

Ha, now she loses another $1K, nice to see.

I loved the qoute "I wanted to win..." Wow, I don't suppose anyone else that bought a ticket wanted to win - they were just doing it for the hell of it. :rolleyes:

"I'm not a bad person. I'm really not."
"Battle has a criminal record that includes...misuse of another person's credit card."

Yeah - all the good people ruin other people's credit.

C'mon. You two need to get together on this ;)

SI

wow that's a shocker....

Awwww. At least her intentions were not selfish. I think I'll go out and rob a bank to give the money to blind nuns.