Judge asked to require Texas Lottery officials to answer questions under oath

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorneys for defrauded Texas Lottery winner Willis Willis are asking a judge to require Texas Lottery Commission officials to answer key questions under oath regarding how a lottery agent was able to redeem Mr. Willis' $1 million winning ticket without raising suspicions and why the commission refuses to correct its mistake and pay Mr. Willis the money he won.

Attorneys at Austin-based HowryBreen, LLP say the sworn testimony is crucial to understanding security and oversight lapses within the Texas Lottery Commission that made the $1 million fraud possible. While Travis County prosecutors say Mr. Willis is the undisputed winner and rightful owner of the winning ticket, lottery officials maintain that indicted lottery agent Pankaj Joshi is entitled to the stolen ticket and ill-gotten proceeds.

"We know that fraud by lottery agents is a recognized problem, well-known by Texas Lottery Commission officials," says HowryBreen co-founder Randy Howry. "The theft and continued nonpayment of $1 million to Mr. Willis is just the most glaring example. The public needs to have confidence in the Texas Lottery, and that will never happen until we know all of the details surrounding the theft of Mr. Willis's $1 million jackpot and until Mr. Willis receives all the money he won fair and square."

The request to compel depositions was filed Tuesday, November 24, in state district court in Travis County. A hearing on the matter has not been scheduled. Information obtained through depositions can be used in future litigation.

A longtime lottery enthusiast, Mr. Willis played the Texas Lottery on a regular basis, typically at the Lucky Food Store #2 in Grand Prairie. On May 29, he bought the winning Mega Millions ticket. However, when he returned to the store two days later to check the lottery results, Mr. Joshi informed Mr. Willis that he had only won $2. On June 25, Mr. Joshi presented the stolen ticket at the Texas Lottery Commission office in Austin and was given an after-tax payout of $750,006.

Texas Lottery investigators since have confirmed that Mr. Willis purchased the winning ticket. Mr. Joshi has been indicted on a felony charge of claiming a lottery prize by fraud. He is a fugitive and is believed to have fled the country.

"Texas Lottery officials have not adequately explained how this fraud occurred - they haven't even publicly apologized," says HowryBreen co-founder Sean Breen. "Mr. Willis deserves to know how the lottery allowed this fraud to occur, how the lottery plans to keep it from happening again and when he will be paid. "

Based in Austin, HowryBreen, LLP, is a trial law firm that represents businesses and individuals in civil litigation throughout Texas and across the country. More information is available at http://www.howrybreen.com.

For more information on the case involving Mr. Willis, please contact Mark Annick at 214-559-4630, (cell)214-213-1754, or mark@androvett.com.

SOURCE HowryBreen, LLP

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