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Lottery Winner Missing
Lottery Winner Missing
In 2006 Abraham Shakespeare, a truck driver’s assistant, won $30 million dollars in the Florida. Shakespeare, 43 won the jackpot after purchasing a lottery ticket at a convenience store in Frostproof Florida and said he had just given his last $3 dollars to a homeless man just before the winning numbers were announced. Shakespeare was sued by a fellow employee who claimed that Shakespeare had stolen the winning ticket from him but a Florida court sided with Shakespeare.
Shakespeare had a criminal record that included burglary, battery and non payment of child support took a lump sum payment of $16.9 million dollars. Shakespeare would purchase lottery tickets regularly in hopes of a big win.
Shakespeare took his winnings and purchased a Rolex watch from a pawn shop, bought a $1 million dollar home in a gated community and also bought a Nissan Altima. Shakespeare repeatedly said that the money would not change him. Shakespeare was besieged with requests for money from relatives and friends. His mother reported that he paid for funerals, lent money to friends to start business and gave $1 million dollars to a person known only as ‘big man.’
Now Shakespeare has vanished and law enforcement authorities fear the worst. Sheriff Grady Judd stated, “There are a lot of odd and bizarre circumstances in this case. We fear and are preparing for the worst. We’re working this case as if it were a homicide.” Shakespeare was approached by DeeDee Moore who said she was interested in writing a book about Shakespeare”’s life. She also served as a ‘financial advisor’ for the lottery winner who never graduated from high school.
Records show that Moore’s company American Medical Professionals purchased Shakespeare’s home for $655,000 last January. His mother reported that the last time she saw him was shortly afterward. Police report that Moore began using Shakespeare’s cell phone to text Shakespeare’s friends and relatives in an attempt to make them believe it was Shakespeare trying to contact them. Moore also offered to give away a $200,000 house in exchange for a false report to law enforcement regarding a recent sighting of Shakespeare.
Moore has a history of her own. In 2001 Moore tried to defraud her insurance company saying she had been carjacked and raped. Moore has also been making transactions in Shakespeare’s name. Shakespeare’s mother has been hoping her son is alive and said he had talked about getting away from the numerous requests for money. For a guy that won $30 million dollars Mr. Shakespeare has been certainly having a hard time. The investigation is ongoing. Had Mr. Shakespeare purchased online lottery tickets he probably could have avoided a lot of problems.
Facebook Removes Fake Page of S. Dakota Powerball Winner
Facebook Removes Fake Page of S. Dakota Powerball Winner
Recently a South Dakota rancher who had fallen on hard times won the Powerball lottery. Neal Wanless, the winner, will walk away with $88 million after taxes. The big win received extensive press coverage. It was reported that the Wanless family had a mobile home repossessed and that the family couldn’t afford a phone. Mr. Wanless displayed a great amount of humility about his new found fortune vowing not to squander his winnings and promised to help those in the community who had supported the Wanless family during hard times.
It has been reported that someone using Wanless’s name set up a facebook page using his name. The profile using Wanless’s name quickly acquired 120 ‘friends.’ The Facebook page used the big winner’s real name and featured a picture of a cowboy riding into the sunset. On the information page was, “Looking For: Dating.” So far Powerball winner Wanless has issued no statement regarding the fake Facebook page. Facebook spokesman Simon Axten said the page has been disabled because it violates
Facebook’s terms and policies. Axten further stated, “Facebook has always been based on a real-name culture. We think this leads to greater accountability and a safer and more trusted environment for our users. It’s a violation of our policies to use a fake name or operate under another person’s identity, and we encourage users to report anyone they think is doing this, either through the report links we provide on the site or through the contact forms on our Help page.”
Before the page was shut down many well wishers had posted messages. One message read, “Must be nice! Being a single mom of 3 kids, I could definitely use a lottery win right now”¦ maybe then I could actually afford a house ¦ keep on dreaming right?”
Facebook spokesman Axten said he could not comment on the possibility of charges against the person who set up the fake page but said the company generally does not press charges for fake pages. So far Powerball winner Wanless seems to be taking his big win in stride. Neighbors of Wanless have no doubt that he will fulfill his promise to pay the community back for their generosity towards his family during troubled times.
Computer technology could very well affect the way lotteries do business in the near future. Several states are considering moves that would make the sale of online lottery tickets legal. Players will be able to log on to state lottery websites and make an online lottery purchase. Cash strapped states hope to fill state coffers with new lottery money by combining lotteries with 21st century technology.