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Woman Convicted In Theft Of Winning Lottery Ticket
Wednesday, December 14, 2005 posted 10:18 AM EST
A 46-year-old woman was convicted Tuesday of stealing a winning Mega Millions lottery ticket worth $175,000.
Dora Leal was taken into custody after being found guilty of felony theft, said Tom Stanton, a spokesman for the Cook County
state's attorney's office. Jurors deliberated for about two hours.
Leal is facing a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison when she returns to court Jan. 9, Stanton said.
Witnesses testified Monday that the Chicago Board Options Exchange clerk was checking 38 lottery tickets in December 2003
for a group of traders when a store clerk told her one was a winner and other customers began giving her high-fives.
The 46-year-old Leal then signed and pocketed the ticket, even though she wasn't one of the 16 people who pooled their money
to play, prosecutors said.
Defense attorney Robert Kuzas argued that Leal never tried to cash the ticket or have it validated. It has not been found.
Kuzas said one of the traders might have lost the ticket.
The traders were allowed to use a photocopy of the ticket to claim their prize.
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