IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa Lottery officials had more questions than answers Friday as they tried to unravel the mystery behind a year-old winning ticket turned in less than two hours before Thursday’s deadline for a jackpot worth up to $14.3 million.
Among the questions: Who bought the Hot Lotto ticket? Who are members of the trust that claimed the prize less than two hours before it expired? Where was the ticket for 364 days, and why did the trustee send it by FedEx to Des Moines one day before the deadline?
Two attorneys with Des Moines-based Davis Brown Law Firm showed up at Iowa Lottery headquarters at 2:10 p.m. Thursday with the winning ticket before the 4 p.m. deadline. They represent Hexam Investments Trust, whose trustee is a lawyer and businessman named Crawford Shaw from the wealthy town of Bedford, N.Y.
Shaw signed the ticket, which was validated as the winner, on behalf of the trust.
“It was down to the wire,” said Mary Neubauer, a spokeswoman for the Lottery.
But before they pay a dime, Lottery officials say they will investigate to make sure the ticket was legally purchased, possessed and presented.
