An Iowa resident tried to get another man to receive his slot machine jackpot in order to get away from paying a debt he owes to the Iowa State but he ended up in jail instead.
Iowa Man Did Not Want His Winnings to Go to Repaying a Debt to the State
Sioux and Proud reported that Dajo Grandberry, an Iowa resident, has been arrested following an incident that took place in August.
On August 7, 2022, Grandberry was playing slot machines at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Sioux City. It was early morning and he got lucky – he won the jackpot. According to court documents, he was caught on camera doing so at 8:40 a.m.
But instead of collecting his winnings, he got hold of another man at the casino. He led him to the slot machine and tried to get him to pretend he was the jackpot winner.
Casino personnel quickly realized what was going on and took action. Grandberry was thwarted and the other man was warned that what he was trying to do is punishable by law and that he may even get a prison sentence.
Eventually, Grandberry admitted that he did not want to claim the jackpot himself as he owes money to the state of Iowa and did not want his winnings to go towards paying off that debt.
Grandberry got arrested at the start of December and is being detained at Woodbury County Jail on bail of $10,000. The hearing of his case is set to take place on December 14. He is being charged with unlawful gambling and solicitation.
Grandberry Is Not the First to Try to Protect Winnings from Debt Payments
Grandberry’s attempt was not the first time someone who has debts tried to get another person to claim a jackpot or winnings at a land-based casino.
A resident of Indiana tried the same thing back in May. Billy J. Butler made an attempt to lure a woman to get his winnings from the Blue Chip Casino, which is located in Michigan City.
Butler won at slot machines but he was trying to get out of paying for his child’s sustenance. He was eventually caught as casino surveillance clearly showed that he was the winner and not the woman he tried to solicit. His jackpot went towards paying out his debt of $48,000 that he owed to the mother of his child.
Later on, the woman he tried to lure into collecting his jackpot admitted he had promised her $200.
Butler was eventually detained by the Mishawaka Police on charges of unlawful gambling. In addition to that charges were pressed against him for possessing a gun and some cocaine.