HER IN HER GARAGE.
>> THEY STILL NOT HAVE GOTTEN
JUSTICE OR ANY SENSE OF CLOSURE.
>> Martha: THANK YOU FOR THE
UPDATE, MORE OF THAT ON MONDAY.
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
SO TONIGHT WE ARE GETTING
INCREDIBLE IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THE
STORY BEHIND THE BIGGEST LOTTERY
SCAM IN U.S. HISTORY, WORTH
$25 MILLION PAID HOW A
LITTLE-KNOWN MAN FROM RURAL,
IOWA MANAGED TO CRACK THE SYSTEM
AND RIG THE GAME IN FIVE
DIFFERENT STATES.
HE FOUND A WAY TO PICK THE
WINNING NUMBERS BEFORE THEY WERE
EVEN PICKED UP BY THE COMPUTER
IF YOU CAN BELIEVE THIS.
AND NOW WE KNOW HOW.
THE ANSWER LIES IN THIS GRAINY
SURVEILLANCE TAPE THAT WAS TAKEN
FROM A QUICK TRIP GAS STATION
OFF OF INTERSTATE 80 IN IOWA.
RAISING A LOT OF EYEBROWS IN
2010 WHEN THE MAN YOU SEE
WEARING THE HOODIE AND HIDING
HIS FACE COMES IN AND PURCHASES
A TICKET THAT WOULD BE WORTH
$16 MILLION.
BUT WHEN IT CAME TIME TO CLAIM
THE PRIZE, HE NEVER SHOWED UP.
HIS LAWYER DID.
JUST TWO HOURS BEFORE THE
DEADLINE.
DEMANDING THAT THEY WIRED THE
MONEY TO A BANK IN BELIZE.
SOMETHING DID NOT SMELL RIGHT,
SO THAT TIPPED THE FBI IN A
POSITION TO PUT THIS PROSECUTOR
ROB STANDS ON THIS CASE, FINDING
SOME SIMILAR SIMILARITIES IN
WINNING TICKETS THE SAME YEAR,
MAY 27TH, NOVEMBER 23RD,
DECEMBER 29TH, ALL SOLD ON THOSE
DAYS HAPPEN TO BE PURCHASED BY
FRIENDS AND ACQUAINTANCES OF ONE
MAN PUT HIS NAME WAS EDDIE
TIPTON AND HE HAPPENED TO BE A
TOP I.T. WORKER AT THE AGENCY
THAT COORDINATES THE LOTTERIES
BETWEEN THE STATES.
ROB SAND, THE MAN WHO CRACKED
THE CASE JOINS ME NOW.
GOOD TO SEE YOU TONIGHT.
THIS IS QUITE A STORY.
FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT COMPUTER
HACKERS, EXPLAIN IN LAYMAN'S
TERMS, HOW DID HE DO THIS?
>> ESSENTIALLY HE HAD THE JOB OF
WRITING CODE TO PICK THE WINNING
NUMBERS.
AND WHAT HE DID WAS HE ADDED
JUST A COUPLE OF LINES OF CODE
THAT WOULD ENABLE HIM ON CERTAIN
DAYS OF THE YEAR TO ACTUALLY USE
A FORMULA TO KNOW WHAT THE
NUMBERS WOULD BE RATHER THAN
HAVING TO PICK FROM ONE IN
MILLIONS, HE WOULD BE ABLE TO
NARROW IT DOWN SUBSTANTIALLY.
>> Martha: IT IS INCREDIBLE,
SO YOU THOUGHT THIS CASE WAS
TOSSED ONTO YOUR DESK AS A YOUNG
PROSECUTOR, YOU LOOK AT THE
VIDEO AND YOU START PIECING
THINGS TOGETHER, HOW DID YOU
BEGIN TO CRACK THE CASE?
>> WE HAD A GREAT TEAM TO WORK
WITH.
A SPECIAL AGENTS IN THE IOWA
DIVISION OF CRIMINAL
INVESTIGATION AT ANDERSON AND
DON SMITH WERE HELPFUL.
TERRY RICH AND ROBBIE PORTER AT
THE IOWA LOTTERY WERE INCREDIBLY
HELPFUL, AND REPORTERS IN
WISCONSIN AS WELL.
WE UNRAVELED THIS THREAD PIECE
BY PIECE OVER THE COURSE OF A
FEW YEARS.
WE JUST HAD THE IOWA TICKET AT
FIRST AND HAD TO GO TO TRIAL
KNOWING ONLY ABOUT THAT TICKET
WITHOUT A LOT OF THE EVIDENCE
THAT WE WOULD HAVE PREFERRED TO
HAVE AT THE TIME.
YET WE WERE ABLE TO WIN THAT
CASE, SECURE A COUPLE OF GUILTY
VERDICTS AND AT THAT POINT WE
HAD A TIP FROM SOMEONE IN TEXAS
WHO TOLD US THAT EDDIE TIPTON'S
BROTHER HAD WON THE LOTTERY IN
COLORADO ABOUT TEN YEARS
EARLIER.
WE WENT TO GOING FROM THERE FOR
EACH SUCCESSIVE TICKET.
>> Martha: YOU KNEW AFTER THE
FIRST CASE WHEN YOU GOT THE HINT
THAT THERE WAS PROBABLY MORE,
THAT IF HE HAD DONE IT OR PULLED
IT OFF THE ONE TIME, AND IT IS
INTERESTING WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT
ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT HE WORKED
WITH AT THE LOTTERY
ORGANIZATION, THEY LOOKED AT THE
VIDEO AND HELP TO YOU GUYS FIND
HIM, RIGHT?
AND THEY WERE SHOCKED THAT THIS
GUY THAT THEY WORKED WITH COULD
BE PULLING THIS OFF.
>> YES, IT IS AN INCREDIBLE
STORY.
PEOPLE SAID THINGS LIKE, IT WAS
LIKE FINDING OUT THAT MY MOTHER
WAS AN AX MURDERER, WAS THE
QUOTE FROM ONE OF HIS BEST
FRIENDS WHO HAD WORKED
SIDE-BY-SIDE WITH HIM FOR OVER A
DECADE.
PEOPLE WERE VERY BLINDSIDED BY
THE IDEA THAT HE COULD DO THIS,
BUT HE WAS SOMEONE WHO HAD THE
OPPORTUNITY TO DO IT AND THE
KNOW-HOW TO DO IT AND THE
MOTIVATION TO DO IT.
>> Martha: HAVE THEY FIXED
THIS?
IF ANYTHING TODAY PEOPLE ARE
EVEN MORE SOPHISTICATED AT BEING
ABLE TO HACK INTO SYSTEMS, SO
HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS IS NOT
HAPPENING AGAIN?
>> I THINK FUNDAMENTALLY WHAT IT
COMES DOWN TO IS THERE IS
DARKNESS IN THE WORLD AND THERE
IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE PEOPLE WHO
ARE GOING TO TRY TO HACK THE
SYSTEM.
WE SHOULD ALWAYS BE TRYING TO
MAKE SYSTEMS BETTER AND MAKE
THEM MORE EFFECTIVE, BUT AT THE
SAME TIME WE HAVE TO HAVE A GOOD
LAW ENFORCEMENT SYSTEM TO BACK
IT UP.
AS THEY SAY, YOU BUILD A BETTER
MOUSETRAP, SOMEBODY BUILDS A
BETTER MOUSE.
>> Martha: VERY TRUE.
THIS IS AN AMAZING STORY.
GOOD FOR YOU FOR PULLING THIS
OFF.
YOU THINK HE IS GOING TO GET OUT
EARLY?
>> WELL, AND I WHILE WE HAVE
MADE DETERMINATE SENTENCING, SO
UP TO 25 YEARS, BUT HE WOULD GET
A GOOD TIME CREDIT OF ABOUT HALF