Marshals the Winners as 51 Snared in Lottery Sting

In what was described as a major undercover “sting” operation, San Diego County marshals said Monday that they arrested 51 felony suspects over the weekend by luring them with the promise of “instant cash” in a multimillion-dollar lottery bonanza.

Lt. D. M. Collier, whose staff devised the tactic, said marshals mailed letters to about 2,250 suspects charged with a variety of offenses, including armed robbery, welfare fraud and counterfeiting of railroad tickets. Many were wanted on multiple charges. Eight were charged with burglary; 42 were wanted on drug charges.

Collier said that the operation targeted suspects for whom the department had “exhausted all other leads” in trying to locate them.

“We were simply at a dead end,” she said.

Suspects ‘Astonished’

The idea of one of her deputies, the sting was “creative, innovative and cost-efficient,” and left most suspects embarrassed or humiliated, Collier said.

“Most were so astonished, they didn’t have time to be angry,” she said.

All of those arrested were wanted on outstanding warrants, Collier said. Tracking down such people has become an increasingly complicated and fruitless venture for marshals, she said.

Collier described a typical suspect search as follows: John Doe lives with a relative for a while, then disappears, though the relative knows where he is. When officers come to call, the relative refuses to tell them of his whereabouts.

“But by getting an invitation to play in a big lottery payoff game, we felt most of the relatives would contact the suspects,” Collier said. “We felt that, somehow, they’d be sure to find out. Hey, the relative gets excited, thinking this guy may win a lot of money. They tell him, and he comes on down.”

To have netted 51 out of 2,250 suspects is only about a 3% response rate, Collier said. Similar operations in the past, not just here but elsewhere, have netted 5% to 7%, she said, adding that police officials across the country are concerned that suspects are “wising up” to sting operations. The 51 arrests included 41 men and 10 women.

The operation worked this way: Marshals represented themselves as a “fictitious, independent marketing research group,” promising free lottery tickets in exchange for evaluating new lottery games. Fugitives were told they could win $50 to as much as $75,000 in “instant cash” and could even qualify for the Big Spin, the state’s multimillion-dollar lottery payoff.

They were asked to report to an address downtown, where each presented identification and was taken to a “special” room. The room was actually a holding area, where suspects were rounded up and booked--but only after plainclothes detectives applauded them upon entering.

Major arrests, Collier said, were those of Gerald Perkins of San Diego, charged with attempted armed robbery, and Robert Daniels of San Diego, charged with possession of a controlled substance.

She said several suspects, even after being arrested, asked if they could have their lottery tickets. She said six showed up in possession of drugs, including one who carried his own hypodermic kit.

One suspect, catching on to the true nature of the “lottery,” attempted to escape by fleeing to nearby Horton Plaza, where he was apprehended with the help of a citizen, Collier said.