Woman Tried To Scam LI Cousin Out Of Lottery Winnings: Officials

GLEN COVE, NY — A woman accused of scamming her Glen Cove cousin out of his lottery winnings may soon end up behind bars.

Authorities say Iris Amador Argueta, 32, of Texas, stole nearly $1 million in lottery prize money from her cousin, who had asked her to claim a winning New York State scratch-off ticket on his behalf. She is also accused of forging paperwork to mislead her cousin about the value of the prize.

"This defendant exploited her cousin's trust, allegedly lying and manipulating him with the aim of pocketing the lion's share of his $1 million winning lottery ticket for herself," said Acting County District Attorney Joyce A. Smith. "Thanks to a great working partnership with the Glen Cove Police Department, we've recovered more than $300,000 in allegedly stolen funds and will vigorously prosecute this case."

On Oct. 28, 2020, the unidentified victim bought a $5 Hold 'Em Poker scratch-off ticket at a Glen Cove convenience store, according to prosecutors. When he scratched the ticket, it revealed a $1 million jackpot prize.

Because he wanted to remain anonymous, the winner asked his cousin if she could claim the prize on his behalf in exchange for $50,000, prosecutors said.

Weeks later, Argueta visited her cousin's home with paperwork purporting to be from the New York State Lottery, which indicated that the prize amount was only $20,000. Prosecutors said she also handed her cousin an envelope containing $13,436 in cash and told him that the rest of the money was kept for taxes.

But that wasn't the case.

An investigation revealed that the NYS Lottery published a press release online that stated Argueta had claimed the $1 million prize and received a lump-sum payout of $537,440 after taxes. Having learned the news, the victim called Argueta — who insisted that she did not have any more money for him and that if he continued to contact her, he would suffer legal consequences.

"Once the alleged crime was brought to the attention of the Glen Cove Police Department an investigation immediately commenced," said Det. Lt. John Nagle of the Glen Cove Police Department. "As a result of the joint investigation, the suspect was subsequently located and arrested."

Argueta was arrested on Monday by Glen Cove police and was arraigned on Tuesday before Nassau County District Court Judge David Levine. She has been charged with one count of second-degree grand larceny and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument.

If convicted of the top count, Argueta faces up to five to 15 years in prison. She is due back in court on Nov. 23.