RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Police in North Carolina have arrested the husband of a $1 million lottery winner, accusing him of obtaining the ticket illegally.
Authorities say Sean Mewherter of Wilmington is charged with larceny by employee and possession of stolen goods over $100,000. The charges were announced Wednesday by the N.C. Education Lottery.
A statement from lottery officials said the charges resulted from an investigation into a $1 million prize awarded to Mewherter's wife, Mikala Fields. She received the prize on July 2 after presenting the winning ticket at lottery headquarters.
After the award was announced, lottery officials were contacted by Mewherter's employer, Kangaroo Express. An investigation into how Mewherter's wife got the winning ticket led to the charges. Mewherter was arrested by police in Oak Island.
Lottery officials want to recover the $408,003 paid to Fields after she took a lump-sum payment.
