Former Powerball winner accused of embezzling $73K from parks commission

• A lottery millionaire allegedly ended up stealing thousands from a parks commission
• The theft was not discovered until bills went unpaid, with the woman winning $30.6m from the Powerball more than two decades prior
• The suspect also won $100,000 from a scratch-off lottery ticket in Pennsylvania

A former Fayette County borough official, who won a life-changing Powerball jackpot two decades earlier, has been accused of embezzling $73,000 from a small town’s parks commission, CBS News reported, breaking the anecdotal story.

Officials were none the wiser about the theft until bills started showing unpaid, with Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele arguing that the amount stolen was still affecting the ability to host events.

Another twist in the case is that the case was only recently dug up by the new district attorney, who didn't specify why his predecessor didn't investigate further.

New attorney opens the case against ex-Powerball winner accused of stealing money

The suspect has been named as one Georgianna Carter, CBS News wrote, who is a former VP of the Point Marion Borough Parks Commission.

What shocked investigators was the fact that Carter had won a $30.6m Powerball jackpot, along with a $100,000 lottery prize, before the theft of the $73,000 that went missing from the parks commission.

Carter supposedly had access to the parks commission’s bank accounts between April 2021 and August 2022, and made unauthorized transactions to personal accounts, instead of official event vendors.

CBS News reported that Carter had admitted to taking the money back in 2022, but no charges were filed by then district attorney, Rich Bower, with the case lingering until Aubele took it up.

"I believe there was a claim that some of the money was paid back by her paramour. However, the amount that was stolen is the amount that we will proceed on," the attorney told the media outlet.

Carter supposedly won the jackpot from the Powerball in 2002, with her boyfriend, Robert Cogar. The $100,000 was won from a Pennsylvania Lottery instant scratch-off ticket bought in October 2011.

Image credit: Unsplash.com