Family Charged in $21m Massachusetts Lottery Scheme
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Ali Jaafar, 63, Mohamed Jaafa, 31, and Yousef Jaafi, 28, were charged on August 23 with over 12 counts of fraud, money laundering, tax evasion in a $21m lottery fraud scheme. They cashed in over 13,000 winning lottery tickets worth millions over an eight-year period. Most of the winning tickets were scratch-off tickets sold at convenience stores. The family falsified their tax returns by reporting fictitious six- and seven-figure gambling losses, which lowered the taxes they paid on the winnings.
Ali and Mohamed Jaafar were arrested on Monday. They pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and money laundering conspiracy.
Ali Jaafar has been the winningest player playing the Massachusetts State Lottery since 2014. Mohamed and Yousef came third and fourth in the family chart. The family was accused of fraudulently cashing lottery tickets. In 2019, the lottery commission temporarily suspended two of the Jaajars, excluding Ali. Ali successfully challenged the suspension in a court.
Ali Jaafar has been the winningest player playing the Massachusetts State Lottery since 2014.
The Jaafars won $21m in a lottery in Massachusetts. The director of the Massachussets State Lottery said the chances of winning the lottery with regularity are zero. 12 people were arrested in Italy in October 2020 in connection with alleged fraud involving four instant lottery jackpots worth €24m ($28m)
