DES MOINES – An Iowa man accused of using fraud and deception as he tried to claim a $16 million lottery ticket has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Eddie Raymond Tipton, age 52 of Norwalk, Iowa, was charged with two counts of class D felony fraud. In July, a jury convicted him on two counts of fraud. On September 9, he was sentenced.
Tipton was the Director of Information Security for the Multi-State Lottery Association, which works with the Iowa Lottery. He was prohibited from playing the lottery as a condition of his job. However, he allegedly worked with others in an elaborate scheme to redeem a lottery ticket said to be worth $16 million. The Hot Lotto ticket in question was bought at a Des Moines gas station in 2010.
Tipton immediately appealed and posted $10,000 bond which freed him from custody as he appeals.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), along with the Iowa Attorney General’s Office filed the charges. The investigation was undertaken by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office with cooperation from the Iowa Lottery.
