Bank Robber Gets To Keep $1M Lottery Prize

(AP)  The luck keeps rolling for a convicted bank robber who won a $1 million lottery prize: Though he violated his probation by buying the ticket, a judge says he can keep the money.

A lawyer for Timothy Elliott, 55, called the violation minor, and the Massachusetts lottery commission previously has said there was no basis for withdrawing the prize.

Barnstable Superior Court Judge Richard Connon on Friday approved the probation department's agreement that he could keep the winnings. The only change is that Elliott now must pay a monthly $65 probation supervisory fee, previously waived because he had been indigent.

Elliott declined to comment Friday. He lives in Bourne under the supervision of the Department of Mental Health.

Probation department spokeswoman Coria Holland would not comment further on the case.

In October 2006, Elliott pleaded guilty to unarmed robbery for a heist at a bank on Cape Cod and was placed on five years' probation. The terms required him to not "gamble, purchase lottery tickets or visit an establishment where gaming is conducted ..."

The jackpot was won on $10 ticket for the "$800 Million Spectacular" game that Elliott bought at a supermarket in Hyannis. He already has received the first of 20 annual $50,000 checks from the lottery commission.

[Krazcarl]

Looks like he could use the cash. This guy did an unarmed robbery of a bank either he''s as clever as a fox or totaly shot out.

[missingamerica]

State lotteries aren''t gambling. They are a tax avoidance scheme people with lots of money use to shift the burden of infrastructure maintenance and entitlement spending onto the people who play it because they need the money.

[bbholcomb]

Right on. Now he will not need to rob anybody else for the rest of his life and hopefully he will never be that desperate ever again. Praise God!!

[marcpcbs]

This guy looks like he will be dead from drugs in a few weeks anyway

[marcpcbs]

I wonder how much the bank robber paid the judge for his "Impartial" decision.

[extremophil]

It should be a long time before he tries to rob another bank.

[azcagirl]

Good for him. Hopefully he will use it to better his life.

[l8c6]

Is this sort of like Reagan talking about the fictitious "welfare queen"? This stupid story has superseded all sensibilities for being in the CBS news online headlines well in excess of more important stories.

If our highest private corporate run government offices are permitted to get by with heinous lies and distortions of half truths, torture, employ felons to work closely with, engage in election fraud, facilitate and encourage private corporation to deplete worker''s retirement plans, dance like fools with swords in hand on the soil of oppressive elitist regimes then it makes little sense why this scroungy gray bearded old f*ar*t can''t keep his winnings other than he''s not part of the right wing establishment.

A story regarding about Obama praising the conservatives and Reagan was in the news yesterday with Hillary and Edwards responding to it. It was online for about a couple of hours. Last week the destructive, distorted and blown out of proportion story about racism regarding Hillary comments and Obama was in the news for about a week. To all the Rush Limbaugh fat nipple sucking swine who think the media is liberal ''splain that to the council of truth on your way through the gates of h*ell.

[piercetheval]

PROBATION DIRECTIVES CAN SUPERSEDE A COURT ORDER AND VICE-VERSA...HERE IN CACAFORYA...GODS GRACE SUPERSEDES ALLL...MAY GOD BLESS US ALL IN A WAY WE CAN APPRECIATE.

[grammawhamma]

Good for Mr. Elliott. He must have learned something from being caught robbing the bank...at least he purchased the lottery ticket and didn''t steal it. I hope he uses the winnings wisely.