Overview

The Winning Ticket is an inside look at one of the most complicated yet seat-of-your-pants financial investigations and prosecutions in recent history. Rob Sand, the youngest attorney in his office, was assigned a new case by his boss, who was days away from retirement. Inside the thin accordion binder that Sand received was meager evidence that had been gathered over the course of two years by Iowa authorities regarding a suspicious lottery ticket. No one expected the case to go anywhere. No dead body, no shots fired, and no money paid out. Why should they care? There was no certainty that a crime had even been committed. But a mysterious Belizean trust had attempted to claim the $16 million ticket but then decided to forgo the money and maintain anonymity when the State of Iowa demanded to know who had purchased the ticket. Who values anonymity over that much money? Both a story of small-town America and a true-crime saga about the largest lottery-rigging scheme in American history, The Winning Ticket follows the investigation all the way down the rabbit hole to uncover how Eddie Tipton was able to cheat the system to win jackpots over $16 million and go more than a decade without being caught--until Sand inherited the case. Just as remarkable as the crime are the real-life characters met along the way: an honest fireworks salesman, a hoodwinked FBI agent, a crooked Texas lawman, a shady attorney representing a Belizean trust, and, Bigfoot hunters. While some of the characters are nearly unbelievable, the everyday themes of integrity and hard work resonate throughout the saga. As the case builds toward a reckoning, The Winning Ticket demonstrates how a new day has dawned in prosecuting complex technological crimes.

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Reviews

As a former prosecutor, I know that you can't try complex cases like the Hot Lotto fraud scandal without tenacity, an eye toward justice, and many late nights. Throughout the case Rob Sand never lost sight of his Iowa values or sworn duty to seek justice. His story is both a gripping true-crime tale and a love letter to the small towns that shape the fabric of our country. -- Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota state senator In an upbeat personal chronicle Rob Sand describes with narrative anecdotes how a youthful Iowan matured, ever mindful of old-fashioned values. As the country has become increasingly divisive and partisan Sand has opted for an uplifting path of public service built on trust and decency. For a public worn out by political traumas he provides a story about governance as it should be. It makes the reader proud rather than cynical about our great republic. -- Jim Leach, former congressman from Iowa This true-crime story is also an inspiring tale of good government and the dedicated people like Rob Sand who deliver accountability...He's also a gifted storyteller. -- Katie Porter, congresswoman from California

Author Information

Rob Sand was elected as Iowa's state auditor in 2018. A native of Decorah, Iowa, he previously served for seven years as an Iowa assistant attorney general. Reid Forgrave is a newspaper and magazine writer who writes for the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. He is the author of Love, Zac: Small-Town Football and the Life and Death of an American Boy. Alex Boyles has been acting pretty much his entire life. He got his BA in theater-acting/directing performance from CSU Long Beach and his MFA in acting performance from Ohio State University. He started narrating audiobooks in 2019 and hasn't looked back! Reid Forgrave writes about sports and other topics for GQ, the New York Times Magazine, and Mother Jones, among other publications. He has covered the NFL and college football for FoxSports.com and CBS Sports, and he currently writes for the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. The article in which he first wrote about Zac Easter is included in Best American Sports Writing 2018 . A past life found him working at the Des Moines Register in Iowa, where he wrote long-form narrative journalism and covered the state's first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses. Forgrave lives in Minneapolis with his wife and two sons. Love, Zac is his first book.

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