Man charged after $1M lottery winnings from ‘group arrangement’ claimed for himself: police

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Man charged after $1M lottery winnings from ‘group arrangement’ claimed for himself: police

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The Ontario Provincial Police say a Toronto man is facing charges after allegedly claiming $1 million in lottery winnings for himself, despite being part of a group that won the prize.

On July 2, police said a man claimed a million dollar Lotto Max Free Play ticket with Encore “as a sole claimant” and got his payout from OLG.

OLG’s forensic investigation unit then received and reviewed claims suggesting the winnings were actually from a group play arrangement, police said.

The case was then turned over to OPP and the joint investigation “confirmed the ticket was part of a group arrangement.”

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“The winnings should have been shared among three individuals, not a single person,” police said.

Alex Parucha, a 70-year-old man from Toronto, was arrested and charged with theft over $5,000, fraud over $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime.

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Parucha was released from police custody and has a court appearance scheduled for January.

A press release by the OLG dated August 12 said Parucha was the $1 million winner from a May 20 Lotto Max draw after matching seven Encore numbers.

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The OLG said in their press release at the time that Parucha had been playing the lottery for 30 years and “typically” plays once a week.

“I won a Free Play, so I went to the store to claim it,” Paruscha was quoted in the release. “When I handed my ticket to the cashier, she asked me if I wanted to add ENCORE to it, so I said, ‘Sure, why not?’”

“Being a winner is a very emotional experience,” Paruscha told the OLG in the summer when he collected his winnings at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto. “It’s brought a lot of disbelief, happiness, and excitement. I feel so fortunate to have won this prize.”

The OLG said the winning ticket was purchased at Dawes Dollar & Video on Dawes Road in Toronto’s east end.