On Tuesday, former security director for the Multistate Lottery Association (MLA) Eddie Tipton, was given the maximum sentence – 25 years.
Tipton was charged with ongoing criminal conduct for a scheme involving seven lottery tickets in five states, the court documents read. He rigged computer codes that would produce winning numbers which netted him and his accomplices millions.
He was accused of buying tickets in various states and selecting numbers that he knew would win, since he designed the program that generated the winning numbers. Tipton then gave the tickets to third parties who cashed the winning ticket and split the money.
In addition to the ongoing criminal conduct charge, Tipton was charged with money laundering but prosecutors agreed to drop the charge. His 25 year sentence will be severed concurrently with his five and a half year sentence in Wisconsin, which he pleaded guilty to theft by fraud and computer crime.
Tipton also agreed to pay significant amounts to four lotteries, totalling about $2.2 million:
- $1.1 million to the Colorado lottery
- $644,000 to the Oklahoma lottery
- $391,000 to the Wisconsin lottery
- $30,000 to the Kansas lottery
When Judge Brad McCall asked him on Tuesday how he intended to repay the money, Tipton said, “Initially, I really don’t know.”
Tipton’s lawyer said he expects his client will serve three to four years before being released.
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