All news

Lottery theft scheme ends with jail time for Wisconsin man

The Wisconsin man's scheme unraveled after understating over $300K in income on his tax returns.

The Manitowoc County Courthouse.
Manitowoc County Courthouse, where Matthew Buchholz was sentenced to six months in jail for stealing lottery tickets and not reporting the income on his tax returns. Photograph credit to Google Maps.
Todd Betzold

A Wisconsin man thought he'd hit the jackpot — literally. However, his plan to steal lottery tickets, collect the winnings, and avoid paying taxes on those winnings quickly unraveled.

What started as a seemingly harmless act of theft soon turned into a full-blown fraud scheme, leaving the man facing a lengthy sentence, probation, and restitution. His story shows just how far someone will go to cash in on a prize — and how quickly things can spiral out of control when they do.

The lottery scheme

Matthew Buchholz, 42, stole lottery tickets worth between $10,000 and $100,000 from his employer and defrauded the Wisconsin Lottery, according to the criminal complaint obtained by WLUK.

Buchholz then collected the winnings from the stolen tickets. However, he then failed to report any of this income from those winnings on his income tax returns.

According to the complaint, Buchholz allegedly filed tax returns and understated his income by more than $300,500, evading over $20,000 in Wisconsin income tax.

The sentencing

On Wednesday, December 18, 2024, Buchholz pleaded no contest to three counts: theft of movable property, income tax fraud, and theft by false representation. Two other counts — both fraud/rendering income tax return or obtaining a refund with fraudulent intent charges — were dismissed.

After pleading guilty, Buchholz was sentenced to six months in jail by Judge Anthony Lambrecht. Buchholz was facing up to 31 years in prison.

He was also placed on probation for seven years. He also agreed to pay $35,000 in restitution, but a hearing was scheduled for February 25, 2025, to determine the final amount.

During his court appearance, Buchholz declined to comment.

All or nothing

While Buchholz was giving it all or nothing to avoid claiming his illegal lottery winnings, one lucky Wisconsin Lottery player was playing the All or Nothing draw game and winning the top prize of $100,000 recently.

During the Tuesday, December 17, 2024, evening drawing for the All or Nothing draw game, one lucky winner matched zero out of the 11 numbers drawn that night to win the top prize in the game of $100,000.

The winning numbers for that drawing were 1, 3, 7, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, and 21. The winning ticket was purchased at Pioneer Store LLC, located at 12023 Hwy 42 in Ellison Bay.

For the All or Nothing game, players can win the top prize of $100,000 by either matching zero of the 11 numbers drawn or by matching 11 of the 11 numbers drawn. So far in 2024, there have been a total of 17 top-prize winning tickets sold in the state, with eight of those winning tickets matching zero of 11 numbers, including this win in Ellison Bay.

This also happens to be the second time a top-prize winning All or Nothing ticket has been purchased in Door County in 2024. The previous winner purchased their ticket at Tripura Petroleum LLC in Sturgeon Bay for the October 28 drawing.

Any Wisconsin retailer who sell winning lottery tickets over $599 receive a 2% Retailer Performance Program Winning Ticket Incentive, up to $100,000.

These lucky winners have 180 days from the date of the drawing to claim their winnings. The odds of winning the top prize in All or Nothing is 1 in 352,716.

Enjoy playing the Wisconsin Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.

Comments

0
Loading comments

Related articles

Abraham Shakespeare and his lawyer, Willie Gary, arriving at a press conference they held at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport.
The tragic life and mysterious death of lottery winner Abraham Shakespeare

What happened to missing lottery winner Abraham Shakespeare?

Alex Cramer profile pic

Alex Cramer

Candace Dingman arrested for allegedly stealing nearly $36,000 worth of lottery books.
Circle K manager took $36K in lottery tickets — then tried to cash a winner

Her plan unraveled fast after she claimed a prize of $1,000 just days after the tickets went missing.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

The Chisholm Corner Sunoco on Central Freeway in Wichita Falls.
Playing with fire: Store manager's lottery scheme leads to charges

A store manager and employee face charges after allegedly stealing over $239,000 in lottery tickets.

Samantha Herscher profile pic

Samantha Herscher

Recent articles

View All
The Cash4Life logo over a white and golden background.
Cash4Life pays big this weekend with top prizes in Florida, Virginia

A dream payday, as one lucky player will get $1,000 a day for life, while two others locked in $1,000 a week.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

The Mega Millions, Powerball, and Lotto America logos on a yellow background with stars.
Triple threat: Three multi-state lottery jackpots soar this weekend

Weekend drawings promise massive payouts as Powerball, Mega Millions, and Lotto America jackpots surge.

Samantha Herscher profile pic

Samantha Herscher

Candace Dingman arrested for allegedly stealing nearly $36,000 worth of lottery books.
Circle K manager took $36K in lottery tickets — then tried to cash a winner

Her plan unraveled fast after she claimed a prize of $1,000 just days after the tickets went missing.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

A photograph of the April 2, 1972, Massachusetts Lottery draw.
“Scratch & Win” details the good, bad, and ugly of the Massachusetts Lottery

Podcast series deep-dives into the astonishing history of the Massachusetts lottery.

Halley Bondy profile pic

Halley Bondy