Crime

Man charged after $1M lottery winnings from ‘group arrangement’ claimed for himself: police

ByGabby RodriguesGlobal News

Posted November 25, 2025 10:38 am

Updated November 26, 2025 7:48 am

2 min read

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2:03East York man charged with theft, fraud after allegedly claiming $1M group lottery ticket as his own

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The Ontario Provincial Police say a Toronto man is facing charges after allegedly claiming $1 million inlottery winnings for himself, despite being part of a group that won the prize.

On July 2, police said a man claimed a million dollarLotto Max Free Play ticket with Encore “as a sole claimant” and got his payout from OLG.

OLG’s forensic investigation unit then received and reviewed claims suggesting the winnings were actually from a group play arrangement, police said.

The case was then turned over to OPP and the joint investigation “confirmed the ticket was part of a group arrangement.”

“The winnings should have been shared among three individuals, not a single person,” police said.

Alex Parucha, a 70-year-old man from Toronto, was arrested and charged with theft over $5,000, fraud over $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime.