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Bill Puts Lottery Winnings By Sex Offenders in Escrow
March 2, 2015
Sex offenders who hit it big in the Florida Lottery would have the winnings placed into escrow, giving their victims an opportunity to resolve any claims, under a proposal filed Friday by state Rep. Bob Cortes, R-Altamonte Springs.
The measure, which doesn’t yet have a Senate companion, would place the prize of a person convicted of sexual battery, lewd acts or other sexual misconduct into an escrow account for one year. The proposal would also put a hold on any prize of $600 or more if a winner has an outstanding debt to a state agency or owes child support.
The measure comes after the Orlando Sentinel reported in December that a convicted sex offender from Lake County won a $3 million prize in a scratch-off game. Earlier this month, an Orange County judge denied a request from the Lake County man’ two male victims, aged 6 and 11 when the crime was committed in 1997, to freeze the winnings. After being informed of the winner’s police record, the lottery removed the individual’s photo from its website.
Comments
19 Responses to “Bill Puts Lottery Winnings By Sex Offenders in Escrow”
So does this genius of a politician not realize that all the sex offender has to do is get someone else to cash in the ticket and just put it into some kind of trust fund that has the aforementioned sex offender listed as the beneficiary? Maybe he should be spending his time on fixing actual problems within the state of Florida rather than trying to get re-election points for something that is a non issue.
Here we have a perfect example. A sex offender wins the lottery. Next, there will be a bill when a sex offender earns a paycheck, it will go into escrow.
By the way, the odds of winning the lotto are what, 100 million to 1? And considering the number of registered offenders in Florida, factor in the rate the state is trying to kill them due to over-regulation, a sex offender will probably never again win the lotto. So this is obviously a very necessary piece of legislation. You would think sex offenders win the lotto every few weeks since it has its own bill!
Well, Alicia, if all convicted persons have escrow, then what’s the point of the lottery, which is silly to play anyways, but all convicted persons, so if you urinated in the bushes (which is not a myth there have been sex offense cases) or even a non-sexual crime like not paying your bus fare or not showing up to jury duty, again don’t support those crimes, but to freeze all your assets and winnings? Also many folks aren’t criminals and do just fine without conservative “abstinence education”, and folks who do abstinence are also criminals too.
How is it different if one goes to a casino or plays at a friend’s house and wins money. I agree the person’s crime is serious, although we don’t know all the details, perhaps the evidence could be weak, and so the person took a plea bargain, children do lie although I don’t know the full story about this case.
Yes, sex laws mean that if your 17 year old son takes a pic in his undies he’s guilty of “child porn”. Child porn is not a young innocent person being taken off all the time, in many cases its under 18 pictures of teens in which the activity is legal.
There was one case in which a guy in his 20s was forced to register as a “sex offender” , “highest risk adam walsh act,sorna,us marshalls” simply for grabbing a teenager’s arm just to chastise her for playing in the street, nothing else, now if he had ran over her with the car, well less charges. Instead he’s grouped with the worst of the worst sex offenders. The us marshalls would rather your 17 year old
be arrested for not registering for taking a picture of himself in his undies rather than supporting ISIS (non-sex offenders do not have to register with the government regardless of crime, although you don’t have to commit a “sex” offense to be listed like above)
The 600.00 or more if delinquent on child support has been in existence for many years now. So, that is nothing new. Im well in favor of that one.
This is a bad idea, it’s just more government intrusion into personal lives. Where does this stop? Sure it sounds good to go after the sex offenders, but did anybody catch? “The proposal would also put a hold on any prize of $600 or more if a winner has an outstanding debt to a state agency.” This is just one more way to control people that we would be better off without.
We wouldn’t have to do any of this if they were never let out of jail.
@Asdfds
No, it has nothing to do with jealousy. Jealous of what ? A nasty beast that preys on innocence, yep. Hatefulness, your darn right, i hate a chomo. If it were my choice, he’d never have won. They should pass a law that prohibits chomo’s from winning so we wouldn’t have to worry about any of this. Wishful thinking, cause in a perfect world anyone who gets joy from destroying innocence (in any form) would be burned alive. Hows that grab ya ?
REGARDING:
“This is just jealousy by society, hatefulness, revenge and denial.”
Do you really believe those who dislike sexual predators are just jealous that they got to molest minors or rape women and the rest didn’t?
I suspect there is some hatred and desire for revenge against them.
And what, pray tell, are they in denial about?
David for clarification
Wouldn’t this discourage convicted sexual predators from throwing away their money gambling?
So this protects them from themselves?
Sweet of them.
This is just jealousy by society, hatefulness, revenge and denial.
I agree with Mike Amerson regarding all convicted persons winnings should be frozen until all fines and restitution are paid, not just sex offenders. I also agree with Glen Cordrey about about revisiting the sex laws, I don’t think they should all be put in the “same bucket”. I know that things aren’t going to change with sex and our young. Sex education should start at home and young people should start looking more at abstinence and be proud of it. Sure would slow down some of the things happening in our country such as teenage pregnancy, STD’s, etc. However, we now live in a society where sex is every where and is very acceptable. Just look at our movie theaters. A teenager can’t hardly find a movie to go to any more because of the ratings. Very sad. Great idea from Loop Holes. Unfortunately, Tom, the children could not file a suit themselves and perhaps the parents didn’t have the funds to do so at the time.
Wait a minute……..if I have an arrest record, the lottery won’t post my picture?
But if I have a clean record with no arrests, I have to have my picture posted in order to get my winnings?
I, the good guy has to reveal my identity via a picture but the bad guy does not?
That is just plain stupid.
I agree with Mike however, i think they should’ve sued the man right away. The state does put liens against convicted people so if they come into money, they get theirs off the top. But these kids, no. Dont wait till you see the guy won something 20 years later, that aint right. But whatever. We’ve already committed to being a police state and theres no stopping it now.
The lien should be place before the fact and not after.
Hopefully this bill will discourage Sex Fiends, from evolving into Lottery Fiends, thus lowering check out line density, and thereby increasing flow.
Mike I agree but sex offenders are easier targets as no one likes them and we want to see them punished for eternity. Its the slow boil principle it starts with sex offenders but then it will include some other group and eventually it will be every american. This is how big government operates. In Germany it was the Jews no different really. Special laws for special people.
It’s easier than that Mike, just file a lawsuit against the suspect. When you win (hopefully), you will have a lien against him or his property until the debt is paid. If dumb dumb win a settlement, inherits a ton of money or wins the Lottery, you will get your cut.
If you win the lottery knowing that your a sex offender knowing my money would go to escrow why not just let someone else cash my ticket for a small pay off…? A good thing to do to make sure they pay but to many loop holes it would work if we started having names put on lottery tickets so that there could be no changing
I would like our law makers to revisit the sex laws. The law puts all sex offenders in one big bucket. All sex crimes are not with little kids but it’s always made out that way. My biggest problem with the law is all the young boys going to prison and labeled a sex offender for being with a girl under 18 years old that lies about her age and consents. The boy is 18 or a little older and has no defense . It seem to me that they or victims too. As for this law just passed. My opinion, it means nothing. How many sex offender do the law makers expect to win the Lotto?And is it going to stop some friend or family member from cashing the ticket. It’s a waste of time. But I do understand the intent with this and kids need to be protected.
It would seem that the State would go for all convicted persons winnings be froze until all fines and restitution was paid to include all crimes so some of those victims of Burglaries etc could recover money from items not recovered or covered by Insurance. It’s always been react, not act before someone complains. The victims of the above crime deserve all of this dirtbags winnings in my opinion.