Nebraska Lottery Winner Seeks to Dismiss Fraud Charges

Many people dream of winning the lottery but for one Nebraskan gas station manager doing so proved to be the catalyst of lengthy legal proceedings. The man, who was accused of fraud, is now seeking to get the case dismissed and free his money from legal limbo.

A Gas Station Manager Won $300K

Jeremiah Ehlers, a manager of a Rapid Stop location in Greeley, Nebraska, made headlines in 2024 when he won $300K from a scratch-off ticket. The man claimed his money from the Nebraska Lottery, posing with his check for a photo.

Ehlers’ prize was won from a $30 Diamond Dollars ticket. After tax, he took $213K home and eventually spent some of it on sorting out personal debts and renovating his home. He also purchased vehicles, including a 2019 Dodge Ram.

However, the lottery winner dream was eventually shattered as Ehlers found himself under fire due to alleged lottery fraud.

The Man Was Accused of Checking the Ticket Before Paying for It

Gas station lottery winners tend to be subjected to more scrutiny due to previous cases of lottery-related fraud. As employees often have unsupervised access to lottery tickets, there have been cases of employees exploiting the system or lying to customers to appropriate their tickets.

To make matters worse, the district manager of Rapid Stop had already suspected that Ehlers had been stealing tickets. As a result, the district manager reviewed security footage and saw that Ehlers had taken a Diamond Dollars ticket and scratched it off without paying. The manager alleged that Ehlers paid for the ticket only after seeing that it was a winning one.

Ehlers was eventually fired from his job.

Ehlers’s Lawyer Wants to Dismiss the Charges

Ehlers is now being sued for potential fraud as Nebraska’s laws state that all tickets must be purchased before they can be scratched off. He was arrested earlier this year, with authorities seizing approximately $129K from his bank account.

In May, a judge stated that the evidence was sufficient for the case to proceed to the district court. However, the defense rejected this claim. Earlier this week, Ehlers’ lawyer insisted that the evidence presented at the preliminary hearing was insufficient and failed to establish probable cause.

As a result, Ehlers’ lawyer is now seeking to dismiss the case. This motion will be discussed on July 29.

In the meantime, Ehlers’ money will remain frozen until and if the charges are dismissed.