Mastermind of lottery fraud faces 25-year prison sentence

DES MOINES, Iowa — A former lottery computer programmer who's pleaded guilty in Iowa to running a criminal scheme that allowed him to collect $2 million in lottery winnings in four states is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday.

A state prosecutor is seeking a 25-year prison term for former Multi-State Lottery Association security director Eddie Tipton.

Assistant Iowa Attorney General Rob Sand says in court documents that Tipton's "depth of deceit is dumbfounding." He says justice requires a lengthy prison sentence.

Tipton pleaded guilty in June and admitted writing code that allowed him to predict winners. His attorney is seeking a much lighter sentence of two to three years.

Sand says Tipton has detailed for authorities how he manipulated lottery computers to win lottery games in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Wisconsin.