Drug Dealer Ordered to Return Lottery Payoff


HOUSTON (Reuters) - A Texas man who won $5.5 million in the state lottery has been ordered to give it up because he bought the winning ticket with money made selling cocaine, federal officials said Friday.
Lawyers for Jose Luis Betancourt argued that the ticket was purchased with cash from selling old clothes, but a jury in federal court in Brownsville, Texas, disagreed and ruled on Wednesday he had to forfeit the cash, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy Herrera.

Betancourt, 52, was arrested on Jan. 17, just three days after collecting the $5.5 million, for selling 36 grams of cocaine to an undercover agent.

Prosecutors said he had been selling cocaine for at least two years before winning the lottery.

He was found guilty of drug dealing last week and is behind bars awaiting sentencing that could put him in prison for life.

Texas Lottery spokeswoman Kristina Tirloni said the forfeited money would go to the federal government, not the state.

Hmmm.......that is setting a dangerous precedent dont you think? I mean, it was his money. Can they prove that he never had any other income in his life? If not, then they cannot say for certain that drug money bought the ticket. Does he have a prior arrest record for drugs? I have a feeling we are not getting the entire picture with this article.

Sure there's more to this. What a dumb ass though...had just collected a few pounds of $100. bills, and get's caught with an ounce - plus of coke.

Yeah he was mildly retarded or something.

That is funny, it must suck for him. He finally gets enough money to support his habit and now the government is going to lock him up.