News writer
When it comes to playing the lottery, most people hope for a lucky break. But one Michigan man took that a little too literally, turning scratch-offs into part of a multi-city crime spree that spanned hundreds of miles and thousands of dollars.
What started as a suspicious purchase at a small-town party store quickly unraveled into a high-stakes investigation involving stolen credit cards, multiple retailers, and a high-tech game of detective work.
Michigan man pleads guilty
A Michigan man recently pleaded guilty to using stolen credit card numbers to purchase over $7,000 worth of Michigan Lottery tickets from a party store in Bad Axe.
The man, 25-year-old Ruben Whimper, entered a guilty plea to False Pretenses — $1,000 to $20,000. This happens to be a felony charge, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
The original investigation
The charge against Whimper stems from an investigation by Detective Derek Joy of the Bad Axe Police Department, according to Huron County Prosecutor Tim Rutkowski.
Back in February 2025, a complaint was filed by a local party store regarding an individual who had used stolen credit card numbers to buy over $7,000 in lottery tickets. Joy was able to obtain surveillance footage from the party store to help him obtain a general description of the suspect.
The detective worked with the Michigan Lottery and learned that many of the stolen tickets had been redeemed at the Walmart store in Bad Axe. Joy was able to obtain video surveillance of the individual who redeemed the tickets, later determined to be Whimper, from the Walmart store.
Walmart also provided Joy with video surveillance of the vehicle that Whimper and an accomplice were using.
Multi-city crime spree
While the theft and redemption of some of the winning tickets took place in Bad Axe, the Michigan Lottery told Joy that some of the tickets were also redeemed at Meijer stores in Kalamazoo and Battle Creek.
Knowing this information, Joy followed up with these stores and was able to obtain even more video surveillance of Whimper and the same vehicle spotted at the Walmart in Bad Axe.
We know had a multi-city investigation, so Joy partnered with investigators from Kalamazoo Public Safety in order to perform facial recognition analysis of the video images. It worked, as the analysis was able to identify Whimper and his co-defendant.
Joy was then able to confirm Whimper's identity through analysis of cell phone records and financial data received from the victims' banks. Rutkowski then issued a warrant for Whimper's arrest, who was then arrested and arraigned on March 14.
Rutkowski stated:
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 who 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.
No date was given for when Whimper will be sentenced.
Enjoy playing the Michigan Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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