Canadian lottery officials say they’ve finally awarded to the correct people a 2003 multimillion-dollar jackpot that authorities say was fraudulently claimed by a lottery retailer’s relative.
Seven men who played Canada’s Super 7 lottery together in December 2003 were awarded a $12.5 million jackpot plus $2.35 million in interest after being declared the rightful winners, the Toronto Star reported. Each will receive $2.1 million.
“It’s a little surreal,” one of the men, Joseph Reaman, 35, of Ridgeville, Ontario, said at a news conference introducing the winners, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. “I got a baby on the way, and he’s pretty much set for life.”
The correction comes after three members of a family - two of whom worked for a Burlington, Ontario, lottery outlet – were charged last year on suspicion of stealing the winning ticket, according to the CBC.
An investigation by lottery officials and provincial police revealed that one of the seven rightful winners bought a Super 7 ticket at a store in October 2003 in St. Catharines, Ontario. The buyer redeemed the ticket later at the outlet in Burlington and wasn’t told that he won a free ticket, investigators determined, according to the CBC.
That ticket went on to win a $12.5 million jackpot. It was claimed by Kathleen Chung, sister and daughter of men who worked at the outlet.
A lottery investigator learned that Chung was a relative of retailers Kenneth Chung and Jun-Chul Chung, but the lottery paid her because it couldn’t prove wrongdoing, the CBC reported.
After the CBC’s “Fifth Estate” program profiled Chung – with Chung claiming not being able to remember where she bought the ticket - provincial police investigated the case and determined that the outlet didn’t give the free ticket to its rightful owner, leading to last year’s charges, which include theft and fraud, according to the CBC.
Further investigation led authorities to determine the prize belongs to the seven men who were awarded Thursday. The men were co-workers in the construction business in 2003, the Star reported.
“After more than seven long years, the right prize is going to the right people,” a beaming Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission chair Paul Godfrey said Thursday, according to the Star.
The Chungs are free on bail as they await trial, the Star and the CBC reported.
Hey FSU, get your money back while you can.
Cha-ching, Chungs!
Seven years, is a very long time, to sort out a case of fraud.
Um, sad to say that each man getting $2.1 million (and especially if that is before taxes) is hardly "set for life". If this man is very careful and invests it prudently, then yes, it is a good chunk of money that will help with that new baby's college, Mom and Dad's retirement, elder care for Mom and Dad, etc. but hardly means that the kid will be "set for life". Please be careful, sir, a million bucks isn't what it used to be.
Canadians have a different approach to living....it's not like the US where everybody spends more than they make. You truly speak about what you do not know. Have you ever been to Canada? Do you know any Canadians?
Lottery winnings are tax free in Canada. What you win is what you get.
Sorry @GOTTHUMBS, Canadian household debt is at record levels, look it up. And $2 million? You could blow that on a nice house in Toronto, Vancouver or Calgary.
I agree with Amber. Fortunately, CBC reported that none of these guys plans to retire yet and that's the smartest thing they could have said.
Yet another example of Canadian Justice. Wish the US was as diligent when dealing with criminals. I'm getting so tired of the amount of crime,killings that go on here....I've considered moving back to Canada. I know no country is perfect, but believe me when I say...there are some serious differences between Canada and the US. In Canada, everyone has medial health care....and everyone contributes to it, based on their purchases. Obama has not made the US system better/equal. Its just robbing from those who have... My health insurance jumped this year...thanks to Obama. We need to implement a 2 – 3% national sales tax that goes only towards funding the Medicare system (fix the current holes in the system as well). Medical access could then be opened up to everyone whose company does not provide medical benefits. It would be a true national health care system that EVERYONE would contribute to.
Buh-buy, have a safe trip home.
stupid koreans
You guys are all retarded on the dog years to human years ratio. A quick google shows that that theory was disproven a long time ago. Here is the chart put up by actual veterinarians.
Age of Dog = "Human" Years
5 months = 10 years
8 months = 13 years
10 months = 14 years
1 year = 15 years
2 years = 24 years
3 years = 28 years
4 years = 32 years
5 years = 36 years
6 years = 40 years
7 years = 44 years
8 years = 48 years
9 years = 52 years
10 years = 56 years
11 years = 60 years
12 years = 64 years
13 years = 68 years
14 years = 72 years
15 years = 76 years
16 years = 80 years
17 years = 84 years
18 years = 88 years
19 years = 91 years
20 years = 94 years
21 years = 97 years
22 years = 100 years
23 years = 103 years
24 years = 106 years
Is this for your average size dog? Makes a difference in life expectancy. That said. It's just a saying, geez no need to get technical.
CNN got it wrong. They waited 49 dog years. But how many cat years is it? Woof!
If they were a dog it would have been 49 years to them. But since they're human it was 7 which equals one dog year.
Paid out in a TAX FREE lump sum.
What a great story. Will make a great movie. (Oh wait! ....correction: Cable TV movie)
My dog therefore, is a 44 year old.
Yes but you are all forgetting that this dog is Canadian. Which means it gets regular checkups, due to nationalized health. Which means statistically you can add 1/3 of a year onto each year in it's lifespan.
I feel sorry for all of Canada, have you been there lately? Talk about Asian Invasion, the "Chungs" are everywhere, and they are a scheming dishonest bunch too..I hope they pass strict immigration laws, and send all the Wang Chungs back to Hong Kong.
well that's very racist. of course it's not to mention the white dued who shot 9 people in Arizona. I mean looking at statistics, Asians are the best immigrants you can find cause of their low crime rate and high achievement rate. Don't use race for this. They happen to be Asian, but wrong-doing knows no racial bounds. they will go to jail.
Wow...How much of YOUR country is owned by China???
Did anyone realize it was 7 men who played super 7 and it was 7 years ago?
Nice!
In the U.S. you can self-check your ticket using a machine at the convenience store so you know if you're a winner before handing to the clerk. I would never hand my ticket to someone to check for me for this very reason. I've read numerous stories with this same scenario.