The State - News from July 14, 1987

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 to a downtown office with the promise of instant cash in a multimillion-dollar lottery bonanza. Marshal’s Lt. D. M. Collier said deputy marshals mailed letters to about 2,250 suspects charged with a variety of offenses, including armed robbery, welfare fraud and counterfeiting railroad tickets. 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 from $50 to $75,000 in instant cash and might qualify for the Big Spin, the state’s multimillion-dollar lottery payoff. Collier said several arrestees asked if they could still have their lottery tickets.