Million-dollar lottery winner violated probation by buying ticket

[Morrigoon]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22013756/?GT1=10547

The sad part of this is now they're "trying to decide what to do about it". Yes it was against probation to gamble, but if you ask me, $50K a year for the next 20 years will go a long way towards keeping him from robbing banks. I hope they don't take the winnings away from him. On the other hand, you have to address the fact that he violated probation.

I think the right answer here is - jail him for the appropriate term for violating probation. Have his winnings placed into an account so that when he gets out, he has no reason to go back to robbing banks.

[blueerica]

I do find it rather strange that no gambling is a stipulation for his probation. Is this a common thing?

[Ghoulish Delight]

I do find it rather strange that no gambling is a stipulation for his probation. Is this a common thing?I imagine it's to keep him away from any sort of large-money-transaction situation.

[Strangler Lewis]

I assume it came out in his probation report that he had a gambling problem. If he was robbing banks to support a drug habit, drug treatment and avoidance would be a condition of probation. If he got probation. I don't think the state can confiscate his winnings except to the extent necessary to pay any fines or restitution orders.

[Morrigoon]

Even if it's the state he won the money from?

[sleepyjeff]

Let him have the money....but notify all of his victims that he is no longer judgment proof civil wise. Let the emotional trauma lawsuits fly;)

[RStar]

If he won, it was fair and square. He should get the winnings. But he should also have his punishment for violating his paroll. Oh, and if he ows any taxes, penalties, restitution, and or fines, they should come out of the winnings first.

[lashbear]

I think he should have found someone he trusted really well (maybe?) and given them the ticket.

Either that, or Stoat suggests the court put it in a bond for him, which is then to be released once his probation is over.

[NirvanaMan]

Ah the lottery. A tax on people that are bad at math.

[Gemini Cricket]

They should take away his winnings and give it to me.