Giant Lotto Texas jackpot winner's identity must be kept secret, NJ lawyer tells Texas AG
AUSTIN — The New Jersey lawyer who is the general partner for the group that recently claimed a giant Lotto Texas jackpot plus more than $710,000 more in related prizes has formally served notice that he will fight efforts to release the winner's name.
"As I am sure you are aware, there are well documented cases where a lottery winner whose personal information was disclosed later became the victim of crime, including murder," attorney Glenn Gelband of Scotch Plains, N.J., said Monday in a letter to the Texas Attorney General's Office.
"Winning a significant amount of money can attract unwanted attention including, but not limited to criminals," the letter stated. "By keeping the winner's identity confidential, the law protects the negative consequences that can arise from public exposure."
The letter from Gelband, who described himself as the "managing member of ROOK GP LLC and the general partner of ROOK TX LP," came in response to an open records request from the USA TODAY Network seeking information about the purchaser of the winning Lotto Texas ticket in the April 22 drawing for an advertised $95 million jackpot.
Listings for either ROOK GP LLC or ROOK TX LP could not be found in the searchable database for businesses on the New Jersey secretary of state's website.
Under Texas law, prize winners of $1 million or more can be paid anonymously. Lower-tiered prize winners cannot. The jackpot winner in question, who opted to take the $57.8 million cash-value prize, falls into both categories.
Gelband did not return a call to his law office seeking general information, such as state or country of residence and occupation, about the winning ticket-holder that would not disclose the person's identity.
Abraham Shakespeare, a Florida man who won an advertised $30 million jackpot in 2006, was shot and killed three years later by a woman who had befriended him. The killer is serving a life sentence.
According to the Texas Lottery Commission, the winning ticket and 344 others that won lower-tiered prizes in the April drawing were included among a bulk purchase of nearly $11 million worth of tickets at an outlet in the Fort Worth suburb of Colleyville.
The advertised $95 million jackpot was the third largest in the history of Lotto Texas.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: New Jersey lawyer fights effort to release information on Lotto winner
