VernonBlog: OPP charge man in $5.7 million lottery fraud investigation

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

OPP charge man in $5.7 million lottery fraud investigation

    MISSISSAUGA, ON, Dec. 19 /CNW/ - At a news conference today, the Ontario
Provincial Police announced theft and fraud charges against a Mississauga man
for theft of a winning lottery ticket and a fraudulent claim of the ticket's
$5.7 million prize money. The investigation is being led by the OPP Criminal
Investigation Branch (CIB) with the assistance of the OPP Anti-Rackets Section
and Provincial AssetForfeiture Unit.The investigation is part of a broader OPP
investigation into fraudulent Ontario lottery game prize claims by Ontario
lottery retailers and employees.The investigation focuses on "insider wins'
between 1999 and 2006.
Charged with 2 Counts of Fraud over $5,000 and 1 Count of Theft over $5,000 is
Hafiz Zulqarnain MALIK, age 60, of Mississauga, Ontario.
The investigation revealed that the winning Lotto 6/49 ticket was purchased in
June of 2004 and that the $5,750,256 prize money was claimed by MALIK in January
of 2005.The investigation also revealed that the winning ticket belonged to a
group of four people from the Toronto area, and that MALIK fraudulently obtained
the winning ticket from the rightful owners and subsequently collected the prize
money.
As a part of the investigation, assets of MALIK valued at approximately
$5 million have been restrained or seized including restraint orders on his
Mississauga home, an investment account and the seizure of two motor vehicles.
MALIK is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice,
60 Queen Street W., Old City Hall, Toronto on December 19, 2007.
The investigation into other alleged fraudulent Ontario lottery prize
claims is continuing.
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Don Quixote Note: It appears winning numbers came from this day in June/04: