According to reports by American media on the 28th, on December 29, 2011, an Iowa lottery winner in the US only claimed a prize of $14.3 million through a proxy lawyer with just 110 minutes left before the claim deadline expired, after holding onto the winning ticket for nearly a year. According to the lottery company's regulations, the winner must disclose their name and address. Strangely enough, on the 26th of this month, this mysterious winner declared that they would rather forfeit the coveted $14.3 million lottery jackpot than reveal their identity! Due to the numerous mysteries surrounding this case, authorities have already launched a criminal investigation. The lottery issuing company exclaimed: "This is the strangest event in the 26-year history of the lottery!"
At 2:10 PM on December 29, 2011, just 110 minutes before the claim deadline, 76-year-old New York lawyer Crawford Shaw arrived at the Iowa Lottery Company headquarters with the winning ticket delivered via FedEx, representing the winner to claim the prize. Calculating the time, the winner had endured for 364 days after winning the multi-million-dollar jackpot! However, the delay in claiming the prize came at a significant cost. If the winner had claimed the prize immediately after the draw, they could have received $16.5 million. But after 364 days, they could receive a maximum of only $14.3 million.
The lawyer Shaw, who claimed the prize on behalf of the winner, was unwilling to reveal the identity of his client. After verification by the lottery company, the ticket was confirmed to be genuine. Surveillance footage showed that on December 29, 2010, someone had purchased this ticket with the numbers 3-12-16-26-33 and special number 11 at a convenience store in Des Moines, the capital of Iowa. When the lottery company asked Shaw to prove that the ticket was not stolen, he claimed that he was acting on behalf of an investment trust fund, and even he did not know the identity of the ticket owner, who also refused to disclose themselves. With no successful claim in sight, Shaw promised to donate the entire prize money to charity, but the lottery company still refused to pay out. Strangely enough, on the evening of the 26th of this month, Shaw solemnly announced that due to the inability to meet the Iowa Lottery Bureau's requirements regarding explaining the source of the ticket and exposing the winner's identity, they ultimately chose to abandon the grand prize "to avoid controversy." Upon hearing the news, the entire nation was shocked.
Due to the numerous mysteries surrounding this case, authorities in Iowa have already launched a criminal investigation to ensure the legality and fairness of the lottery. The CEO of the "Hot Lotto" lottery company, Terry Rich, exclaimed that this was the "strangest event in the 26-year history of the Iowa lottery," with all the mysteries and speculations enough to write a novel.
However, investigators admitted that the case involved complex issues. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation stated that they would investigate whether there were any illegal activities involved in the process from purchasing, holding, to claiming the lottery ticket. The head of the investigation, Dave Barton, admitted that investigators could not force 76-year-old New York lawyer Crawford Shaw, who appeared to claim the prize, to reveal the truth. However, according to disclosures by the "Hot Lotto" lottery company, Shaw had previously been involved in criminal offenses, and his former company was still pursuing a civil claim of $2.3 million against him, making it even more puzzling how he obtained the lottery ticket.
(Lang Tian)