Woman Tries To Forge Winning Mega Millions Lotto Ticket

By Samantha Abernethy in News on May 2, 2012 5:40PM

An Illinois woman has been charged with attempted theft and forgery for trying to forge a winning Mega Millions lottery ticket. During the fervor over the $656 million Mega Millions jackpot in April, an Elgin woman submitted a falsified claims form in an attempt to cash in, lottery officials say. Leandria Williams, 28, purchased the winning numbers, but they discovered she actually purchased it after the numbers had been drawn. The Tribune writes:

The ticket bore the winning numbers, but records showed only three Mega Millions winners and none of those tickets were from the Chicago area, officials said.

Lottery logs showed Williams' ticket was produced shortly after 10 p.m. on March 30, eight minutes after the winning numbers were drawn. Williams also produced an email receipt that was altered, officials said.

Williams was arrested on April 16 for her attempted scam, which Illinois lotto officials say is the first of its kind.