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Two men made headlines in 2025 for their lottery-related crime stories. Now, they are back in the news after accepting plea deals, and their sentences have been handed down by a judge.
One case involved a Kentucky man who went from winning $167 million playing Powerball to being arrested in a Florida hotel 72 hours later. The other case involved a group of men running a lottery scam targeting senior citizens. Both recently found themselves in front of a judge for sentencing.
Powerball winner pleads guilty in Florida case
In 2025, James Farthing won the biggest lottery prize in Kentucky's history. Now, Farthing has pleaded guilty to charges he got following an arrest in Florida less than 72 hours after his big win.
Officials said Farthing pleaded guilty to the battery and resisting an officer charges in Pinellas County. With the plea deal in place, Farthing will not have to serve any more time in jail. He must also pay a fine of $1,000.
Since his big win, Farthing has gotten into even more legal trouble, this time in Kentucky. Back in February, Lottery USA reported that he was arrested and charged with intimidating a participant in the legal process. He is scheduled to appear in court on that charge in April.
Farthing's original arrest
Back in April 2025, Farthing bought a Powerball ticket in Georgetown, Kentucky. That ticket just so happened to match all six of the winning numbers drawn. He, along with his mother, won the $167 million jackpot, the biggest Kentucky Lottery win.
While that story made headlines, Farthing found himself back in the headlines just days later. This time, it was for an arrest that took place in Florida, just three days after claiming his prize. He was accused of assaulting a police officer and then resisting arrest while at a hotel.
Maryland man sentenced to federal prison
A man connected to a large lottery fraud operation in Maryland has been sentenced to federal prison.
U.S. District Judge Brendan A. Hurson sentenced 30-year-old Nickoy Campbell, a Jamaican national, to 42 months in prison. He will also have to serve three years of supervised release and must pay $3.07 million in restitution.
Campbell previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
Campbell's original arrest
According to authorities, Campbell and several co-conspirators ran a lottery fraud scheme that took place from September 2022 to February 2024. The suspects would target victims across the country.
How it worked was these men would contact the victims, tell them they won a lottery or sweepstakes prize. The victims were then told they had to cover the taxes or processing fees to receive their winnings, which never truly existed.
There were over 10 victims of this scam, and the total losses were over $3 million for the victims. Officials also determined that Campbell personally got over $500,000 from the operation.
Three of those co-conspirators have already pleaded guilty in this case. They are just waiting to be sentenced.
Enjoy playing the lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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