Sex Offender Wins $3M Florida Jackpot

Registered predator served time for assault on boy, 9
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 10, 2014 10:36 PM CST
Updated Dec 11, 2014 1:00 AM CST
Sex Offender Wins $3M Florida Jackpot
The Florida Lottery pulled this photo of Timothy Poole after learning of his past.   (Florida Lottery)

Lottery officials in Florida pulled a photo of the latest jackpot winner from their website after learning that he is a convicted sex offender. Timothy Poole, 43, served time in prison after being accused of sexually battering a 9-year-old boy in 2001 and has been arrested more than 10 other times for offenses including grand theft and forgery, reports the Orlando Sentinel. He won $3 million on a Super Millions scratch-off ticket and took home a lump sum payment of $2,219,807 this week. "We chose to not draw additional attention to this particular winner" after learning of his past, a lottery spokeswoman says.

Poole—who now works as a driver for a taxi firm his mother owns—served 13 months on a plea deal for the 2001 offense and was later sent back to jail for three years after failing to attend mandatory sex offender counseling sessions. He was required to register as a sexual predator but continues to maintain his innocence and has had no legal problems since his release from prison in 2006, reports WKMG, which notes that Florida doesn't allow the lottery to withhold payments from winners based on their criminal records. (In Alaska a few years ago, a convicted sex offender won a lottery that benefited sex-assault victims and suffered a severe beating in the street a few days later.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X