Well, turns out they were running a scam, and the NY Lottery was onto them the whole time, including releasing the unusual press statement:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/n...-5-million-lottery-payout.html?src=twrhp&_r=0
November 13, 2012
2 Charged in Plot to Steal $5 Million Lottery Payout
By JAMES BARRON
They waited until shortly before the $5 million winning ticket in a scratch-off lottery game would have been worthless. Then, when two brothers from the Syracuse area went to claim the prize, they made an unusual offer: They told state lottery officials that they would be happy to take home less than the full amount if they could avoid a news conference.
The officials made them wait some more, saying a security check had to be completed before the big payday.
But security check turned out to be another name for an investigation that ultimately led to the brothers arrest on Tuesday on larceny and other charges. The authorities said the two brothers had tricked the actual winner, a customer at their parents convenience store.
The brothers Andy Ashkar, 34, and Nayel Ashkar, 36 were charged with attempted grand larceny and conspiracy. The Onondaga County district attorney, William J. Fitzpatrick, said in a statement that Andy Ashkar was also charged with criminal possession of stolen property, the ticket in the $500 Million Extravaganza game, sold in October 2006.
Andy Ashkar told the buyer at the time that it was only a $5,000 winner and, after pocketing $1,000 as a fee, gave the man $4,000, according to the statement from Mr. Fitzpatrick.
Mr. Fitzpatrick said in the statement that when the Ashkars went to the lotterys headquarters in Schenectady in March of this year, they were told they would have to wait for the security check.
The next milestone mentioned in Mr. Fitzpatricks statement was an article last month in The Post-Standard of Syracuse about the Ashkars and the winning ticket a story Mr. Fitzpatrick said was actually put out by the lottery security division in an effort to have the real winner come forward. Other news outlets including The Associated Press also carried the report, based on a news release from the lotterys communications office.
John Lammers, the enterprise editor of The Post-Standard, said the newspaper assigned two reporters to the story because the editors wondered why the lottery had disclosed so much in a news release. Usually, he said, the lottery waits to announce a winners identity at a news conference.
Nobody put a fast one over on us, he said. We were suspicious of this from the get-go. Something was going on.
We put it on the front page because of all the red flags, and our readers got it immediately.
The lotterys news release said Andy Ashkar had bought the ticket but had waited to redeem it out of concern that the winning ticket could negatively influence his life if he did not plan properly before being publicly introduced.
Most notably, the news release said, Ashkar said he did not want the winning ticket to influence his engagement and subsequent marriage. The release also said that Andy Ashkar wanted to share the money with his brother to show his appreciation for all that Nayel had done for him during his life.
Carolyn Hapeman, a lottery spokeswoman, said it was unusual for the lottery to send out a prerelease about an upcoming winner event. The news release said the lottery requires players who win $1 million or more to attend a news conference.
Weve been getting a lot of calls about this particular ticket and these individuals, she said on Oct. 17, and rather than anybody question Is it true? Is it true? we sent out what we know thus far. On Tuesday, she referred questions about the case to Mr. Fitzpatricks office.
His statement said the real winner had come forward and will hopefully be awarded his actual winnings pending the conclusion of the case against the Ashkar brothers.
There was no answer at the Ashkar familys store or at their homes. As for the real winner, the authorities did not release his name.