News writer
A trip to buy lottery tickets turned into a costly gamble for one Michigan man. After an elaborate scheme involving stolen credit card numbers, detectives pieced together a trail of clues that led straight to his arrest, and eventually, his jail sentence.
Jail time for Michigan man
A Battle Creek man has been sentenced after pleading no contest to false pretenses – $1,000 to $20,000 and illegal use of a financial transaction device charges on July 17, 2025, in the 52nd Circuit Court.
On September 8, 2025, Ruben Darnell Whimper, 25, was sentenced by Huron County 52nd Circuit Court Judge Gerald M. Prill to 270 days in jail, with credit for 137 days served, on the false pretenses conviction. He was also sentenced to 180 days in jail, with credit for 137 days served, on the financial transaction device conviction.
In addition, Prill ordered Whimper to pay $10,077 in restitution and a $100 fine. He must also serve three years of probation after using stolen credit card numbers to buy more than $7,000 in lottery tickets from a Bad Axe party store.
In addition to Whimper, Hason Ali Smith, 26, of Kalamazoo, was also charged. He pleaded guilty to a charge of false pretenses – $1,000 to $20,000 on August 25, and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 27, 2025.
The original investigation
These charges stem from an investigation led by Detective Derek Joy of the Bad Axe Police Department. Back in February 2025, Joy responded to a complaint at a local party store regarding an individual who used stolen credit card numbers to buy over $7,000 in lottery tickets.
Joy obtained surveillance footage from the party store, which gave him a general description of the suspect. He then talked with the Michigan Lottery, which informed him that many of the tickets had been redeemed at the Walmart store in Bad Axe.
The detective was able to get video of the individual who redeemed the tickets from Walmart, which was later determined to be Whimper. Joy was also able to obtain video of the vehicle Whimper and Smith were using.
According to the Michigan Lottery, some of the tickets were also redeemed at Meijer stores in Kalamazoo and Battle Creek. Joy followed up with those stores and was able to obtain more videos of the suspect and the vehicle seen at the Walmart in Bad Axe.
Joy worked with investigators in Kalamazoo to perform facial recognition of the video images. This provided a positive identification of Whimper and Smith. Joy was also able to confirm Whimper’s identity using cell phone records and financial data received from the victims’ banks.
A warrant for Whimper was then issued, and he was arrested and arraigned on March 14, 2025.
‘Dogged determination’
In a statement, Huron County Prosecutor Tim Rutkowski said, “This is a brilliant example of investigative techniques and dogged determination by Detective Derek Joy and the Bad Axe Police Department. In many communities, a financial crime of this nature would not be investigated or prosecuted due to available law enforcement resources. We in Huron County are lucky to have law enforcement agencies that are willing to devote the time and effort to ensure that all those who commit crimes, including crimes of a financial nature, are brought to justice.”
Enjoy playing the Michigan Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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