6 charged in alleged 50/50 draw fraud
Kevin Yarr | CBC News | Posted: August 15, 2016 1:40 PM | Last Updated: August 15, 2016
Four of this year's weekly draws tainted, say organizers
Six people in Charlottetown have been charged with fraud in connection to a complaint regarding a charity 50/50 draw.
The draw was the Community Cash 50/50, sponsored by the Holland College Hurricanes Football Club and Murphy's Community Centre.
"They're all charged with fraud over $5,000," said Charlottetown Det. Const. Randie Currie of the six accused.
"They all benefited from the draws."
Those charged include five men and one woman, all from the Charlottetown area.
- Simon Gabriel Edison Hood, aged 23
- Michelle Lynn McKenna, aged 31
- Joshua Tyler McKenna , aged 22
- Anthony Michael Cummiskey, aged 24
- Mark Patrick Griffin, aged 29
- Joshua Terrance Smith, aged 24
Currie said while the charge of fraud is itself relatively common, the use of a 50/50 draw to defraud is not.
Fraudulent winners uncovered, say organizers
A statement on the Community Cash 50/50 Facebook page said an internal investigation showed there were as many as four fraudulent winners of the 50/50 draw in the first six months of 2016.
"The Community Cash 50/50 Lottery has procedures in place to prevent things like this from happening," said Greg MacDougall, spokesperson for the lottery sponsors, in the statement.
"Unfortunately someone with criminal intent found a way around these rules for a short period of time."
Four jackpot dates are being redrawn, and the full money prize will be awarded to the new winners. Those dates and prizes are
- Jan. 22: $23,430.
- March 11: $21,763
- April 8: $11,453.
- June 10: $12,282.
The draw organizers say they still have records of who purchased tickets in those weeks, and there will be no new ticket sales for those draws.
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