Officials said a con associated with the Mega Millions lottery was the first they had dealt with in Illinois history.
An Elgin woman was charged with attempted theft and forgery for trying to cash in on the $656 million Mega Millions jackpot with a ticket she created, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.
Leandria Williams, 28, was initially charged with fraud last week for allegedly creating the false lotto ticket that bore the winning numbers. Records showed that there were only three winning Mega Millions tickets, all of which were sold outside the Chicago area.
The sheriff’s office was contacted on April 4 after Williams went to the lottery claims office in Des Plaines saying that she had a winning ticket for the Mega Millions jackpot, said officials, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Further investigation showed that Williams’ ticket was produced shortly after 10 p.m. on March 30, eight minutes after the winning numbers were announced. She also produced a false email receipt.
Williams pushed her luck again by filling out a claim form for her lottery winning, sending it to Springfield for verification where it was deemed false.
