A 45-year old man in Bartow, Florida has accused his friend of allegedly keeping most of his $1 million lottery prize money. John Rhoades, who is also described to have a “limited education” asked Tyler Scott to help him claim the prize money. Scott also kept from him the real amount of the prize.
According to the Lakeland Ledger, Rhoades filed a case against Scott for lying about the prize money and pocketing most of it. Scott had told him that it was worth only $100,000 and he only received $64,000 from Scott.
Scott Took Advantage Of Rhoades
Rhoades said he bought the winning lottery ticket back in April. When he realized it had won, he asked Scott to help him cash it in because he had no idea how to. He also had no idea how much the prize money is. According to the lawsuit, Scott claimed that it was only worth $100,000.
When he found out he needed to claim the prize in Tallahassee, he then asked Scott to do it for him because he did not have the means. For his trouble, he offered Scott $10,000 from the proceeds. After coming back from, Scott reportedly gave him what was left of the money, less tax, the $10,000 share and another $1,000 for an earlier loan.
The girlfriend of Rhoades inquired with the lottery office about how much the prize money was after Rhoades noticed that Scott was spending so much money, including the purchase of a new truck. This was when they found out it had won $1 million.
A lawyer for Rhoades, Kevin Cox says that his client was taken advantage of. He said that his trusting nature was the reason why he asked for Scott’s help.
Ticket Ownership In Question
On the other, Scott has a different story to tell. His version puts doubt as to who owns the winning ticket. According to his lawyer, it was Scott who bought the tickets. He had given money to purchase them to Rhoades, who was on his way to buy cigarettes from a local store.
When Rhoades gave the tickets to him, he scratched them off and saw that he had won. Also, the $64,000 money was Scott’s way of “helping a friend who was down on his luck.”
The bank accounts of Rhoades and Scott have been frozen by the court until the case is solved.