The Ontario Provincial Police say a Toronto man is facing charges after allegedly claiming $1 million in lottery winnings for himself, despite being part of a group that won the prize.
On July 2, police said a man claimed a million dollar Lotto Max Free Play ticket with Encore “as a sole claimant” and got his payout from OLG.
OLG’s forensic investigation unit then received and reviewed claims suggesting the winnings were actually from a group play arrangement, police said.
The case was then turned over to OPP and the joint investigation “confirmed the ticket was part of a group arrangement.”
“The winnings should have been shared among three individuals, not a single person,” police said.
Alex Parucha, a 70-year-old man from Toronto, was arrested and charged with theft over $5,000, fraud over $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime.
Parucha was released from police custody and has a court appearance scheduled for January.
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A press release by the OLG dated August 12 said Parucha was the $1 million winner from a May 20 Lotto Max draw after matching seven Encore numbers.
The OLG said in their press release at the time that Parucha had been playing the lottery for 30 years and “typically” plays once a week.
“I won a Free Play, so I went to the store to claim it,” Parucha was quoted in the release. “When I handed my ticket to the cashier, she asked me if I wanted to add ENCORE to it, so I said, ‘Sure, why not?’”
“Being a winner is a very emotional experience,” Parucha told the OLG in the summer when he collected his winnings at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto. “It’s brought a lot of disbelief, happiness, and excitement. I feel so fortunate to have won this prize.”
The OLG said the winning ticket was purchased at Dawes Dollar & Video on Dawes Road in Toronto’s east end.
Global News spoke to the family-run store owner, Sean Li, who said he recalls when Parucha came in to claim his ticket a few weeks later. Li said Parusha told him he was instructed to go to the store to process the ticket at a terminal.
“I put the ticket through,” Li said. “I’d never seen a million-dollar winner before, so I congratulated him.”
Li said Parucha “appeared calm” when the ticket rang through as a winner. Li said he also recalled him telling another customer, who asked how much he won, that he “only won $10,000.”
“He didn’t jump, he didn’t do anything. He was just quiet, really. He wanted to be low profile about it, I assume,” Li said.
The OLG said it has a “robust process with many levels of scrutiny and transparency in the prize claim process.”
“As this case is before the courts, we are unable to provide further details at this time,” the OLG said.
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