Florida Couple Arrested for Attempting to Claim $1 Million Lottery Prize with Fake Ticket

A Florida couple, Kira Enders, 36, and Dakota Jones, 32, were arrested and charged with multiple felonies after attempting to claim a $1 million lottery prize using a crudely altered ticket. The couple presented a ticket from the Florida Lottery's "500X The Cash" scratch-off game to lottery officials, claiming it was a winning ticket for the game's $1 million second-tier prize.

However, lottery officials immediately identified the ticket as a "non-winner" due to apparent alterations. The ticket appeared to be two separate tickets taped together, with the pieces not matching. When questioned by police, Enders admitted to taping the ticket back together after it had fallen out of her car during a downpour.

Enders and Jones were arrested on March 11 and charged with several offenses, including forgery, alteration of a lottery ticket with intent to defraud, passing a forged or altered state lottery ticket, and grand theft of $100,000 or more. They were released on bond and are scheduled to appear in court on May 10.

Why this matters: This incident underscores the significance of lottery security measures and the repercussions of attempting to defraud state lotteries. It also functions as a cautionary note that such fraudulent schemes are often easily detected and can result in serious criminal charges.

The couple provided inconsistent stories about how they obtained the ticket, with Jones admitting that he had advised Enders not to present it because it "looked jank." The special agent investigating the case noted that the crude manner in which the ticket was taped together is a common indicator of attempted fraud.

Key Takeaways

• Florida couple arrested for attempting to claim $1M lottery prize with altered ticket
• Ticket appeared to be two separate tickets taped together, with pieces not matching
• Couple charged with forgery, alteration of lottery ticket, and grand theft of $100K+
• Incident highlights importance of lottery security measures and consequences of fraud
• Couple's inconsistent stories and crude ticket alteration were indicators of attempted fraud