Lottery insider's brother arrested in jackpot-fixing scandal

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — New digital evidence reveals how a lottery insider manipulated drawings to enrich himself and his associates, Iowa investigators said today as they charged his brother with securing jackpots in Oklahoma and Colorado worth $1.2 million cash.

Tommy Tipton, a former justice of the peace and reserve police officer in Texas, turned himself in to face a charge of ongoing criminal conduct.

Authorities allege he conspired with his older brother, Eddie Tipton, the former security director of the Multi-State Lottery Association who was convicted last year of fixing a $16.5 million Hot Lotto jackpot. He's also awaiting trial on charges linking him to lottery prizes in several other states.

The jackpot-fixing allegations have rocked the Multi-State Lottery Association, an Iowa-based nonprofit that administers Powerball and other games for dozens of states.

Prosecutors have alleged Tipton tampered with random number generators that he built and installed for use by state lotteries. But their case had been based on circumstantial evidence because the computers he worked on at the association had been erased or destroyed, and Tipton's defense repeatedly cited the lack of evidence as a reason why charges should be dismissed.