Calif. Man Allegedly Won $10 Million in the Lottery But Then His Roommate Stole the Ticket
A California man has been arrested after allegedly trying to steal his roommate’s lottery winnings.
On Dec. 20, the lucky winner purchased a Scratchers ticket and was ecstatic to win what he thought was $10,000, police told KTLA. Turns out he miscounted a few zeros as he actually won $10,000,000.
Still in shock, the winner, who has not been identified, went to the local grocery store where the ticket was purchased to confirm his big win, police told the outlet. However, he was still under the impression that he only won $10,000.
“He still wasn’t sure so he went back to the same grocery store to have the staff confirm it and they said, ‘Yes, you’re a winner,'” Vacaville Police Department spokesman, Lt. Chris Polen told NPR.
Sadly, the man’s excitement was short lived. Later that day, he went home to allegedly tell his roommate Adul Saosongyang the good news, Polen said.
According to police, when the man woke up the next day to collect his money, he was told the ticket he had was a losing one that had its numbers altered. He reported the incident to police.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click hereto get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.
Police allege that the next day, Saosongyang allegedly took his roommate’s winning ticket to the Lottery’s Sacramento District Office in an attempt to cash it, NBC News reported.
It was there that he was told the ticket was worth $10 million, according to authorities.
Before he could take home the prize, the lottery reviewed the win, a protocol they follow for all tickets over $600, NBC reported.
When they went to the grocery store where the ticket was purchased to obtain the surveillance footage to ensure that Saosongyang purchased the ticket, they were informed that it had been stolen, ABC News reported.
The lottery then determined Saosongyang had stolen the ticket and altered his roommate’s before swapping it out, police allege.
RELATED: Three People Allegedly Stole a Shark From Texas Aquarium By Disguising It as a Baby in a Stroller
On Monday, Saosongyang was invited back to the Sacramento office under the impression that he would finally be getting the money — only to be arrested, ABC News reported.
Saosongyang was booked into Sacramento County jail and was transferred to the Solano County jail, the outlet reported. He is expected to appear in court on Thursday and is being held on $65,000 bail, ABC News reported.
It is not clear if Saosongyang has a lawyer.
The outlet also reported that the actual winner will receive the money once the investigation comes to a close.
The California Lottery did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
