FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

CONTACT: Jennifer Gelband 
(208) 334-2600
August 8, 2003 

Lottery Busts Fraudulent Ticket Holders! 

(Boise, ID) Three Boiseans were arrested when they tried to redeem an altered Idaho Lottery scratch ticket for $25,000. 

The three suspects, one man and two women, came to the Idaho Lottery offices on Wednesday, August 6, 2003, with an altered $3 Cashword Bonus scratch ticket for the sum of $25,000.00. The ticket surface was changed; the letter "F" was made to look like the letter "E," turning a non-winning ticket into a $25,000.00 winner. 

Safeguards and precautionary procedures in the Lottery’s redemption process make the exchange of forged tickets virtually impossible. All three were charged. One with false presentation of a fraudulent or forged ticket, and the other two were charged with criminal conspiracy. 

In the process of the investigation, arrest, and search of the individuals a small vile of methamphetamine was found on one individual and in searching her purse, a drug pipe was found. She was also charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. 

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