A former business owner accused of scamming a mentally disabled lottery winner in Melrose, Massachusetts, has pleaded guilty.
Chang Cho, 58, was accused of seriously underpaying a woman who won $10,000 on a scratch ticket last year. The Massachusetts State Lottery said the customer presented the ticket and was told that the prize was $1,000.
According to the lottery, the then-owner of RD's Deli and Market gave the woman $950 in cash - a violation to state regulations that any prize over $600 needs to be cashed in at the lottery office.
Tuesday, Cho appeared in Middlesex Superior Court, where he pleaded guilty to a charge of larceny over $250 from a person with a disability.
"This was a truly tragic case where a man used his lottery license to take advantage of a disabled woman, stealing thousands of dollars in winnings from their rightful owner," Melrose Police Chief Michael Lyle said in a statement.
