Woman Sentenced for Scam That Defrauded Missouri Lottery

Amy Young, 42, has been sentenced by US District Judge Douglas Harpool to 23 months in prison. Young was brought on charges of a wire fraud conspiracy and a wire fraud scheme. 

Fraudulent Credit Card Transactions Used to Funnel Funds Off Lottery, Private Business

As part of these illicit operations, Young targeted the Missouri Lottery Commission and an area gas station. Based on the US attorney for the Western District of Missouri’s statement, Young was part of a group of people who used stolen or fraudulent credit cards and credit card numbers to purchase lottery tickets.

The gas station targeted in Joplin was the direct victim of the fraud, with $62,082.50 in fraudulent transactions made on-site. The scheme was perpetrated in July and August 2022, with the transactions used to purchase lottery tickets, which ended up fetching $54,248 in cash prizes, which were collected by the illicit ring.

In total, the sum suffered in losses by the business and the lottery amounted to $116,330.50. The case immediately triggered interest from the FBI and the Joplin Police Department, with the agencies’ joint efforts leading to a successful case against Young in the end.