Lottery mystery video release generates leads

DES MOINES - A state investigator Thursday said nearly 20 leads were generated by last week's release of a surveillance video of a man purchasing a Hot Lotto ticket at a Des Moines convenience store that turned out to be a multimillion dollar winner.

'We've had a few hundred responses to the survey and that's generated about a dozen and a half leads that we can follow up on,” said Dave Jobes, assistant director of the state Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI). 'We're actively working on those as they come in.”

Jobes declined to comment further on the nature of the leads or whether they came from Iowans or people living outside the state who viewed the video of the unidentified man who bought lottery tickets at the Quick Trip on East 14th Street near Interstate 80 in December 2010.

'They're the leads that you might expect from releasing the video,” Jobes said. 'People indicating they think they recognize the person, which is exactly what we were asking for. But beyond that, we won't release any details.”

Iowa law officers released surveillance video on Oct. 9 hoping for a break in identifying the mystery buyer or determining if any bad happened to him beyond not collecting his winnings. So far, authorities say the case is being considered a fraud investigation.

Investigators have been trying to untangle the Hot Lotto mystery ever since an attempt was made to redeem the $14.3 million winning ticket in late 2011.

Less than two hours before the deadline for claiming the jackpot, Crawford Shaw, a New York attorney, came forward to file paperwork with the Iowa Lottery to claim the prize. Shaw said he was acting on behalf of Hexam Investments - a trust based in Belize, which is known as a tax haven.

However, Iowa Lottery officials refused to pay the prize because of questions about the ticket's ownership. Shaw withdrew his claim in January 2012 and the prize money was ultimately forfeited.