IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday overturned the conviction of a lottery employee implicated in a nationwide fixing scandal, saying his trial over a rigged $16.5 million Iowa jackpot was tainted by a dawdling investigation.
The ruling is a symbolic victory for former Multi-State Lottery Association security director Eddie Tipton, whose lawyers argued that Iowa’s long-running inquiry into the 2010 jackpot let the statute of limitations expire. But it might have little practical impact.
Prosecutors this month agreed to vacate the conviction under a plea agreement, regardless of how the court would rule. The deal requires Tipton to plead guilty to ongoing criminal conduct for his efforts to rig several other jackpots in Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas and Wisconsin. Prosecutors are expected to seek a 25-year prison term for Tipton, who could enter his guilty plea in Iowa next week. Under the deal, the 56-year-old pleaded guilty in Wisconsin earlier this month to rigging a $2 million 2007 jackpot.
Tipton’s attorney and a prosecutor didn’t immediately reply to messages seeking comment.
Investigators say Tipton installed code on Random Number Generators used by state lotteries that allowed him to predict the winning numbers on three days of the year. They say he worked with his younger brother Tommy Tipton, Texas businessman Robert Rhodes and other associates to purchase and claim winning tickets from 2005 to 2011.