A woman has been arrested for stealing her cousin's $1 million scratchcard winnings after he trusted her to cash it for him.
Iris Amador Argueta, 32, is also accused of forging lottery documents to throw him off the scent after only transferring a small amount of the $1million (£747,155) jackpot to him in Long Island, New York, prosecutors said on Tuesday.
NBC New York says the winner bought a $5 New York State 'Hold 'Em Poker' scratchcard at a 7-Eleven store in Glen Cove in October.
After scooping the jackpot he asked his cousin to claim the lottery win on his behalf for a fee of $50,000 (£37,335) so he could remain anonymous, according to prosecutors.
The victim's prosecution team also said that she drove to New York State to collect the ticket before mailing it to the lottery company due to Covid-19 restrictions.
According to prosecutors, the woman, from Houston, Texas, sent her cousin a fake document from the lottery company along with $13,436 (£10,032) in cash and claimed New York State withheld the rest for taxes.
They also accused her of receiving a $537,440 (£401,298) lump sum after the New York authorities issued a statement championing the man's jackpot win.
Prosecutors said the suspect threatened her cousin with legal action after he confronted her over the incident.
Officials in Nassau County, New York State said they have already recovered over half the stolen amount from the suspect's bank account.
Acting District Attorney Joyce Smith said: "This defendant exploited her cousin's trust, allegedly lying and manipulating him with the aim of pocketing the lion's share of his USD 1 million winning lottery ticket for herself.
"Thanks to a great working partnership with the Glen Cove Police Department, we've recovered more than $300,000 in allegedly stolen funds and will vigorously prosecute this case."
The suspect has been charged with grand larceny and could face up to 15 years in jail if convicted.
