Crooks Who Used Stolen Card to Buy $5.3M Scratch-off Imprisoned for Fraud

Two small-time crooks who partied concentrated after they “won” £4 million (US$5.3 million) on a drawing scratch-off fine were sentenced to 18 months apiece for hoax inwards Bolton Crown Court, UK, Tuesday.

John-Ross Watson, 34, and Gospel According to Mark Goodram, 38, both from Bolton, purchased the £10 fine from a John Griffith Chaney foodstuff fund in April 2019. Unfortunately, they were using a stolen camber identity card at the time.

The pair, who for each one make an extensive crook history, directly embarked on a four-day bender. They snapped selfies piece binging on margaritas and posing with jeroboams of champagne.

When they finally sobered up, Goodram called the UK National Lottery to lay claim the win, adding that he would be share-out it with his friend, the royal court heard.

Lottery Gets Suspicious

Lottery officials explained the defrayal would live made past bank transfer, and Goodram said he did non experience a bank account. Since the fine had been bought with a identity card linked to a bank account, this emotional suspicion.

When asked whose card they had used to purchase the ticket, the 2 friends explained it belonged to a man named “John,” whom they had met inward a brothel. They said they had him given hard cash to buy the ticket on their behalf. However, “John” failed to come forrad to corroborate the story. The geminate claimed they could not let inward touch with him because he had gone “up north.”

Meanwhile, drawing officials learned the identity card belonged to a man who said he had never met Thomas Augustus Watson or Goodram.

When the Lottery withheld the payout pending the close of its investigation, the partner off went to the UK tabloids to quetch of injustice, house painting themselves as victims.

But the newspapers speedily discovered that John Broadus Watson had 74 convictions for 143 malefactor offenses and Goodram had 22 for 45. Both were come out on bond at the time of their lottery win. Goodram had latterly robbed a gas post and stolen a charity box seat that contained £8,000 (US$10,600) meant for a local hospice.

Goodram was featured on a regular basis in his local newspaper’s “Bolton’s Most Wanted” segment.

‘Cultural Racism’

Later in 2019, they threatened to sue the National Lottery, claiming their colourful felon histories had prejudiced National Lottery manipulator Camelot against them inwards a way of life that was “culturally racist.”

They were briefly represented pro bono past celebrity attorney Henry Hedron, who himself has a malefactor sentence for supplying chemsex drugs.

In late 2009, Hendron told tabloids that Goodram and Watson entered into a contract with Camelot when they bought the ticket.

“It’s not for Camelot to investigate whether the money you employ is your money,” he claimed.

Camelot, and on Tuesday a Crown Margaret Court judge, disagreed.