News writer
For nearly six years, a man tied to a lottery scam managed to stay one step ahead of the law, vanishing just days after investigators came knocking. But his run didn't last forever. Thanks to a relentless pursuit by federal agents, his double life came to an unexpected end in a way that feels straight out of a crime drama.
The original indictment
On July 26, 2018, Christopher Gibbon, 54, was initially charged by complaint in U.S. District Court in St. Louis. Gibbon was then indicted in December 2019 with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and bank fraud, as well as four counts of mail fraud and one count of bank fraud.
According to the indictment, between December 1, 2016, and July 2018, Gibbon took part in a scheme in which victims were contacted by phone and email and falsely told they had won the lottery. The victims were then told they needed to send money to pay the taxes on their winnings.
Officials said Gibbon received payments from at least four victims. He would then forward some of that money to co-conspirators in Jamaica. One of the victims happened to be a North Carolina resident who sent $50,000 to Gibbon's address.
Living under a different name
Court documents state that Gibbon was interviewed by U.S. Postal Inspectors on July 18, 2018. Then two days later, on July 20, 2018, he told his wife that he was going to work. However, he did not show up to work and did not return home.
According to a motion seeking to have Gibbon held in jail until trial, he was living with a girlfriend in Springfield, Massachusetts, under the name Raseqhenre Heedram. However, he wore a name tag reading Amos Johnson when he was arrested by Postal Inspectors in Connecticut on August 28, 2025.
Gibbon will be returned to Missouri and has been ordered to be detained until trial.
In a statement, Inspector in Charge Ruth Mendonça, who leads the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, said:
This arrest proves the resolve and relentless pursuit Postal Inspectors have in bringing those who defraud victims to justice. I commend our local, state, and federal partners who assisted in this case and arrest.
Real lottery wins in Missouri
While Gibbon was trying to scam people out of money over a fake lottery win, a couple of Missouri Lottery players have recently won it big playing the draw game Show Me Cash.
Up first was the August 8 Show Me Cash drawing. One lucky player matched all the winning numbers that night to win the $234,000 jackpot. The winning numbers were 6, 19, 26, 29, and 37. The winning ticket was purchased at Telegraph Fuels, located at 4591 Telegraph Road in St. Louis.
Lottery officials said the prize was later claimed at the Missouri Lottery's St. Louis regional office.
Another player matched all the winning numbers drawn for the August 12 drawing of Show Me Cash. For matching all the winning numbers, the lucky ticket holder won $70,000.
The winning numbers for that drawing were 5, 17, 23, 24, and 38. The winning ticket was purchased at Town and Country Supermarket, located at 719 Ozark St. in Cabool.
For 2025, Show Me Cash players have won 24 jackpots, totaling over $4.9 million in prizes. Just in August, there were five Show Me Cash jackpots won across the state. The average jackpot size for those five wins was over $108,000.
Enjoy playing the Missouri Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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