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Lottery boss gave 100 tickets to state trooper, report says (Ohio)
The Columbus Dispatch ^ | March 31, 2009 | James Nash

Posted on 03/31/2009 11:28:48 AM PDT by buccaneer81

Lottery boss gave 100 tickets to state trooper, report says Tuesday, March 31, 2009 1:12 PM By James Nash THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Read the report

* Click here to read the full report from the Ohio Inspector General's Office (PDF).

The head of the Ohio Lottery improperly gave 100 lottery tickets to a state trooper who pulled him over near Mansfield, the state watchdog said today.

The Ohio Inspector General's office faulted Michael A. Dolan, executive director of the Ohio Lottery, for giving the trooper 100 promotional lottery tickets after he was pulled over in January and not cited.

Dolan, a former Cleveland councilman whom Gov. Ted Strickland named to head the lottery in 2007, had been driving without a front license plate and was not wearing his seat belt. He told the trooper that he was on his way to Columbus to meet with Strickland.

He wrote a letter to the trooper, James M. Baker, thanking him for the "courtesy extended to me yesterday," and enclosed the lottery tickets.

Dolan told investigators that the lottery routinely issues promotional tickets to law enforcement agents and others.

But the inspector general said Dolan's actions were "lacking in sound judgment and improper." The report recommended the state establish a policy on such activities, but there were no further ramifications for Dolan.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; US: Ohio
KEYWORDS: lottery; police; ticketfixing
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The lottery director should be fired, the trooper should at least be suspended, but hey, we work for them, right?
1 posted on 03/31/2009 11:28:49 AM PDT by buccaneer81
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To: buccaneer81

its not like he handed the tickets to him out the car window


2 posted on 03/31/2009 11:30:21 AM PDT by GeronL (http://tyrannysentinel.blogspot.com)
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To: buccaneer81

Actually, I’m thinking the trooper must have reported the lottery tickets. How else would anyone know?


3 posted on 03/31/2009 11:30:37 AM PDT by DannyTN (Impeach and Deport)
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To: GeronL

I agree.


4 posted on 03/31/2009 11:32:10 AM PDT by MeanWestTexan (Beware Obama's Reichstag Fire.)
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To: buccaneer81

I always wondered how corruption of the lottery system would seep into the game. This is one way.


5 posted on 03/31/2009 11:32:32 AM PDT by lilylangtree (Veni, Vidi, Vici)
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To: buccaneer81

Sounds like the trooper let him go and was mailed the tickets later. Unless the lottery guy was let go because of the promise of tickets to the trooper, it doesn’t sound like the trooper did anything wrong.


6 posted on 03/31/2009 11:32:39 AM PDT by kenth (Obama - One Big Ass Mistake, America)
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To: GeronL
its not like he handed the tickets to him out the car window

No, but the appearance of impropriety is definitely there. He most definitely used his position to convey his "importance" to the trooper.

7 posted on 03/31/2009 11:33:06 AM PDT by buccaneer81 (Bob Taft has soiled the family name for the next century.)
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To: DannyTN

I agree


8 posted on 03/31/2009 11:34:07 AM PDT by OldNavyVet
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To: lilylangtree; kenth

If the trooper turned the unused tickets in, I agree with you that he did nothing wrong. Poor journalism in not getting that part of the story.


9 posted on 03/31/2009 11:34:44 AM PDT by buccaneer81 (Bob Taft has soiled the family name for the next century.)
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To: buccaneer81

I don’t see any impropriety in this story. It wasn’t a bribe. It didn’t influence the outcome and that doesn’t appear to have been the intent.


10 posted on 03/31/2009 11:35:01 AM PDT by balls (I have seen the enemy and it is Hussein 0)
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To: buccaneer81

Yeah, the article is a bit lacking.


11 posted on 03/31/2009 11:35:52 AM PDT by kenth (Obama - One Big Ass Mistake, America)
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To: DannyTN

That’s what it looks like to me.


12 posted on 03/31/2009 11:36:27 AM PDT by Skid Marx
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To: DannyTN; kenth; lilylangtree
You're right. The trooper did things right.

From the report:

The letter indicated that the trooper should share these tickets with his “fellow Troopers.” The letter and promotional lottery tickets were forwarded by the trooper’s supervisor to the Ohio State Highway Patrol Headquarters in Columbus. On February 2, 2009, the OIG was made aware of this incident and an investigation was initiated.

13 posted on 03/31/2009 11:37:57 AM PDT by buccaneer81 (Bob Taft has soiled the family name for the next century.)
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To: buccaneer81
The lottery director should be fired, the trooper should at least be suspended, but hey, we work for them, right?

So, you posted the article and made comments without reading the OIG report...

The trooper did the right thing - when he received the letter and the tickets he forwarded them to his supervisor, who sent the information up the Chain of Command. It is the trooper and his supervisor who are responsible for the investigation.

From page 8 of the OIG report on the investigation:
"We found no fault in the trooper's or his supervisor's actions. They correctly reported the incident to their superiors."

Care to reconsider your opinion of the Trooper in this matter?
The lottery guy should be canned, I agree, but the LEO did the right thing.
He should be commended, not suspended.

14 posted on 03/31/2009 11:40:09 AM PDT by BlueNgold (... Feed the tree!)
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To: MeanWestTexan; GeronL
You're right. The trooper did nothing wrong. From the IG's report:

The letter indicated that the trooper should share these tickets with his “fellow Troopers.” The letter and promotional lottery tickets were forwarded by the trooper’s supervisor to the Ohio State Highway Patrol Headquarters in Columbus. On February 2, 2009, the OIG was made aware of this incident and an investigation was initiated.

15 posted on 03/31/2009 11:41:22 AM PDT by buccaneer81 (Bob Taft has soiled the family name for the next century.)
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To: BlueNgold
Care to reconsider your opinion of the Trooper in this matter?

Absolutely. I relied on the stupid journalist before I read the report. See my posts # 13 and # 15.

16 posted on 03/31/2009 11:42:46 AM PDT by buccaneer81 (Bob Taft has soiled the family name for the next century.)
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To: buccaneer81
I relied on the stupid journalist...

A valuable lesson for anyone. (wink)

17 posted on 03/31/2009 11:46:50 AM PDT by BlueNgold (... Feed the tree!)
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To: BlueNgold

LOL! I must be slipping!


18 posted on 03/31/2009 11:50:18 AM PDT by buccaneer81 (Bob Taft has soiled the family name for the next century.)
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To: buccaneer81
HAHAA! It would not matter in Massachusetts because all the convenience store clerks tell me no one is winning any more! The State needs money desperately, the State computers know exactly what numbers have been selected and what numbers have been printed on tickets.

One of them asked me, "Would YOU go to a casino that was in Chapter 11???"

19 posted on 03/31/2009 11:57:08 AM PDT by Gorzaloon (Roark, Architect.)
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To: buccaneer81
As others have said, it appears as if this officer did turn in the lottery official.

But get a load of this: Dolan told investigators that the lottery routinely issues promotional tickets to law enforcement agents and others.

What the...? The lottery official admits to routine handouts to LE? They'd better look at the whole stinking operation then, not just this one instance with the one traffic stop. Free lottery tickets to law enforcement is a not a legit "promotion."

20 posted on 03/31/2009 11:58:11 AM PDT by Eroteme
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