RALEIGH (AP) — Police in North Carolina have arrested the husband of a $1 million lottery winner, accusing him of obtaining the ticket illegally.
Authorities said Wednesday that Sean Mewherter of Wilmington is charged with larceny by employee and possession of stolen goods over $100,000. The charges were announced by the N.C. Education Lottery.
A statement from lottery officials said the charges resulted from an investigation into a $1 million prize awarded to Mewherter’s wife, Mikala Fields. She received the prize on July 2 after presenting the winning ticket at lottery headquarters. She has not been charged.
Lottery officials said that after the award was announced, they were contacted by Mewherter’s employer, Kangaroo Express in Oak Island, where he allegedly obtained the ticket. An investigation led to the charges and his arrest by police there.
Lottery officials want to recover the $408,003 paid to Fields after she took a lump-sum payment.