Jury awards jailed illegal immigrant $750,000 lottery ticket
A jailed illegal immigrant in Georgia is the rightful owner of a $750,000 lottery ticket, a jury decided Thursday.
The Macon Telegraph has an excellent write-up on the tale of suddenly rich but soon-to-be-deported Jose Antonio “Tony” Cua-Toc, 27, a native of Guatemala who entered the country illegally in 2000.
Cua-Toc, a day laborer in the employ of Fort Valley business owner Erick Cervantes, bought the winning Jingle Jumbo Bucks lottery ticket in November 2010. Cua-Toc said he asked Cervantes to cash in the ticket because he was in the country illegally, but Cervantes kept the money.
Cervantes claims he gave Cua-Toc $20 to buy the ticket for him, but jurors watching store video of an exultant Cua-Toc decided that was not the behavior of a man who had just won a fortune for someone else.
The verdict in the civil suit would seem to set precedent — the jury determined the owner of a lottery ticket is not who pays for it, but who actually purchases it, which has me reconsidering the AJC office pool.
Cua-Toc’s winnings after taxes total $517,500. The Houston County jury also awarded him $207,000 in attorney’s fees and $25,000 in punitive damages. He is currently jailed on a DUI charge and will likely be deported after completing his sentence.
According to Georgia law, Cua-Toc could have claimed the prize as an illegal immigrant, which would have made this story a lot less interesting.
Now, I’m off to buy a $1 Mega Millions ticket. The drawing tonight is worth $148 million, and, if I win, I can assure you I won’t be asking my boss to cash it in for me.
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109 comments Add your comment
deegee
March 9th, 2012
6:04 pm
Big Schtick is a mensch.
Sid
March 9th, 2012
6:05 pm
ok, obviously this isn’t the case (at least any more) but I thought I remember hearing years ago that lottery tickets are effectively bearer bonds – (s)he who signs it & turns it in gets the $. not sure I want juries & lawyers deciding this – too much potential for abuse…
Laughing out Loud
March 9th, 2012
6:08 pm
It is very easy to express your opinion when one speaks in generalities which is what most posters do. They lump all illegals and legals in the same boat and make judgements about all. It’s just easier that way. Not all are takers and partakers of services,benefits with out making some contribution to society. Justice and mercy for all ought to be given. God bless people who want a better life for their families. Would to God some of our naturalized citizens would seek to better their own lives and that of their families without playing the “victim” seeking entitlement living.
Steven
March 9th, 2012
6:09 pm
Illegal immigrant wins!!
Alonzo
March 9th, 2012
6:21 pm
Even if the man was in the country illegally, he does not deserve to be cheated out of his winnings by someone who was born and raised her simply because of that fact. He went to his employer because he thought that he could trust the man. It is my bet that his employer was paying him far less than he would have paid an American to do the same job – if the employer could find an American who would take the job.
We spend so much time complaining about Latinos being in this country illegally. How many times have we read about a Latino trying to blow up an airplane or a federal building? The people who commit those kinds of acts usually have passports, visas, or even american birth certificates.
Orange12
March 9th, 2012
6:22 pm
I may be wrong but I thought you had to be a lawful U.S. citizen to win anything from the GA Lottery.
Alonzo
March 9th, 2012
6:24 pm
Even if the man was in the country illegally, he does not deserve to be cheated out of his winnings by someone who was born and raised here simply because of that fact. He went to his employer because he thought that he could trust the man. It is my bet that his employer was paying him far less than he would have paid an American to do the same job – if the employer could find an American who would take the job.
We spend so much time complaining about Latinos being in this country illegally. How many times have we read about a Latino trying to blow up an airplane or a federal building? The people who commit those kinds of acts usually have passports, visas, or even American birth certificates.
Do the Math
March 9th, 2012
6:30 pm
He should definately stay and buy a house with his money. Georgians can’t see the forest through all the trees.
Ralph Christian
March 9th, 2012
6:46 pm
Next time you are at the table eating, think about those that work under extreme hardship conditions to pick up the fruits and vegetables that you enjoy. The original illegal immigrants in America: Europeans.
Jeremy
March 9th, 2012
6:47 pm
The white man is here illegally just cause chris columbus got lost and got the indians high and took there land and gave them reservations now who was in the wrong did he discover america or pull sumthin shady all i say is how you discover america when indians were here yea ok