An Iowa man is facing fraud charges for attempting to cash-in on a lottery ticket that he was not allowed to purchase.
According to a Polk County affidavit, 51-year-old Edward Tipton is facing two felonies for fraudulently trying to win a prize and redeem a lottery ticket in violation of Iowa code.
Investigators say Tipton, who worked for the Multi-State Lottery Association, purchased a winning ticket in December of 2010 from a Des Moines gas station. That ticket was worth $16.5 million.
As an employee with the Multi-State Lottery Association, Tipton was prohibited from buying lottery tickets or winning the lottery, according to a statement from the Polk County Clerk of District Court.
According to that statement, Tipton tried to have the ticket cashed in for him, but there was not enough verification to prove they were the purchaser.
Nearly four years into the case, investigators reportedly got a tip that the purchaser was Tipton.
The Clerk of District Court said that during an interview in November of 2014, Tipton admitted he was not allowed to play the lottery, but denied that he was the purchaser, saying he was out of town at the time the ticket was purchased.
Investigators said that phone records showed otherwise, indicating that he was in the Des Moines area when the ticket was bought.
Special Agents with the Division of Criminal Investigation interviewed several people who knew Tipton. Investigators said those who were interviewed said the person shown in surveillance video from the gas station sounded like Tipton and mannerisms appeared the same.
Another analysis of the surveillance video showed that the vehicle the purchaser had was a silver crossover-style vehicle, according to investigators. Records from a car rental business showed that during that time, Tipton had rented a silver 2007 Ford Edge, a crossover-style vehicle.
Tipton was charged with two counts of fraud and was held in the Polk County Jail on $10,000 bond.