Tipton, a former information security director at the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), was convicted in 2015 of tampering with a random number generator in order to fix a Hot Lotto draw in Iowa five years earlier. A fresh investigation was later launched to probe Tipton’s alleged dealings in other draws and states, and a case dating back to 2007 in Wisconsin has now come to court.
According to investigators, Tipton was friends with Rhodes and supplied him with the winning combination for the Megabucks draw in question so that they could share the prize. Rhodes pleaded guilty to being party to a computer crime and will be sentenced later.
Rhodes brought a $250,000 jackpot with him to the court to begin paying back the Wisconsin Lottery. If a plea deal is agreed, he will serve six months of home confinement in Texas and pay $409,000 in restitution. Tipton is currently awaiting trial in Iowa.