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http://www.cleveland.com/lottoscandal/inde...01battle09.html
This is surprising -- not.
Ohio woman admits lying in lottery case
The Associated Press
Jan 8, 1:53 PM EST
CLEVELAND (AP) -- 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 t
icke
t 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 repo
rt 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," spo
kesw
oman Mardel
e 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 pr
ior 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 trespassi
ng in 20
02 and paid restitu
tion 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, quali
fied for a lump-sum payment of $67.2 million, after taxes.
‚©2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
http://www.cleveland.com/lottoscandal/inde...01battle09.html
This is surprising -- not.
Ohio woman admits lying in lottery case
The Associated Press
Jan 8, 1:53 PM EST
CLEVELAND (AP) -- 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 t
icke
t 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 repo
rt 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," spo
kesw
oman Mardel
e 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 pr
ior 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 trespassi
ng in 20
02 and paid restitu
tion 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, quali
fied for a lump-sum payment of $67.2 million, after taxes.
‚©2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.