A New York convenience store clerk will start receiving chunks of his $3 million lottery winnings after he was nearly bilked out of the jackpot by three scheming coworkers.
Atif Ali, 22, of Spring Valley, Riaz Khan, 45, and Mubeen Ashraf, 22, both of Monroe, were charged with first-degree grand larceny in their attempt to extort an immigrant worker of his prize, telling him that he would be deported and not get his money if he turned in the ticket himself, the Associated Press reported.
When the suspects discovered the victim, whose name was not released, had signed the scratch-off ticket he bought at N&K Quick Pick store on February 3, they convinced him to include them as co-purchasers, according to the Rockland County District Attorney.
Ali, a store clerk, along with former owners Khan and Ashraf then cashed the ticket and cut purchaser out of the deal, nearly making off with $500,000 of the total prize.
But even if the clerk is an illegal alien, Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Zugibe says he still is entitled to his winnings under law.
The victim will receive annual payments of $120,000 for the next 20 years, as soon as the winnings – currently tied up in another case involving a man who falsely claimed the same prize – are released.
The three suspects, photographed in the mug shots provided by PelhamPatch.com, were arrested and the implicated bank account was frozen following the investigation by the Rockland County Special Investigations Unit, The Spring Valley Police Department and the New York Lottery.
“The victim is fully cooperating with our investigation,” Zugibe said.
