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Father and Son Charged with Attempting to Steal Lotto Winnings

Written by Eric Anderson  |  23. November 2013

The owner of a convenience store in Hempstead and his son has been arrested after allegedly attempting to cheat a customer out of his lotto winnings.

Police said that Nabil Jaghab, 57, and his son Karim Jaghab, 26, run Peninsula Deli & Grocery on Peninsula Blvd. in Hempstead. A man who does not speak English bought a scratch off lottery ticket from the store on Thursday.

After winning, he handed the ticket to Karim Jaghab, who then scanned it and received a message saying “File claim: jackpot winner – please return original ticket to the customer along with a claim receipt,” meaning he had won a $1 million jackpot. Jaghab instead kept the ticket and told the man he had won $1,000, which he paid out in cash.

The victim returned to the store the next day, asking about the ticket. Jaghab then told him that the man had actually won $10,000, and allegedly stated that he would pay him the winnings “as long as you don’t involve the police.”

Nabil Jaghab was also present at the time, and insisted that the man had only won $10,000. The victim was not convinced, and called the police. Nassau County police looked at the ticket and determined that it was indeed worth $1 million, and that the Jaghabs had tried to steal the winnings for themselves.

Police also stated that the two had failed to comply with regulations that restrict store owners to paying out a maximum of $600 in cash. All New York State Lottery tickets that are worth more than $600 must be redeemed through the New York State Lottery office.

The Jaghabs, both of East Meadow, were arrested and bail was set at $75,000. They are being charged with Grand Larceny. According to CBS News, their defense attorney stated in court that the lottery machine was not working properly.

[Source: CBS News]

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