Oklahoma Man Tries To Bilk Lottery Commission With Forged Ticket

Oklahoma City police arrest a man trying to cash in a forged lottery ticket.

According to the police report filed Friday June 19, 45-year-old  Michael Allen Shaske of Tahlequah was hoping for a $20,000 payout by turning in an altered $3 scratch-off ticket – and would not take ‘no' for an answer from any of the clerks he went to that day.

But all he got was a quick trip to jail.

"Well he was doing everything he could to get arrested for this," said MSgt. Gary Knight with the Oklahoma City Police Department. "Clearly it was not a good winning ticket."

Police say first he went to the Loves in Tahlequah to try to cash in his altered ticket. And when they refused, he drove all the way to the Lottery commission office in Oklahoma City, three hours away, to try to get the teller to cash it there.

6/24/2014 Related Story: OKC Police: Man Tries To Claim $20K Prize With Altered Lottery Card

"If the clerk notices it, you know it's not a very good job," said Rollo Redburn, the Executive Director here at the Oklahoma Lottery Commission.

Redburn says they don't see a lot of forged tickets around here, but it does happen from time to time, however, never as bold and blatant as this. You see Shaske tried to alter a Lottery ticket, but he didn't do a very good job at it.

"He needed one symbol to make it a $20,000 winner," said Redburn. "So he got that from another ticket."

Police say Shaske tried to tell them he had found the altered ticket on the ground at a Wal-Mart store in Tahlequah and just wanted to see if it was a winner. But all his persistence got him was a guaranteed spot in the Oklahoma County Jail.

"There's so much security involved in these tickets," said Redburn. "Whether it's a scratcher ticket, or a Powerball ticket, or Mega millions ticket, don't try it because you will get caught and you will go to jail! It's just not worth it."

Right now Shaske is being held in the Oklahoma County jail on 2 thousand dollars bond.