Lottery Scam Nets $13,500 From MoCo Woman; Police Seek Other Victims

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — Montgomery County police detectives are seeking anyone who may have been a victim of a lottery ticket scam that stole $13,500 from a county resident earlier this year, according a police release.

Officers responded around 3:38 p.m., to the 4000 block of Aspen Hill Road in Silver Spring for the report of a robbery.

An investigation conducted by Detective Matt Vendemio revealed that a female victim was sitting in her car when she was approached by a man who said that he had a winning lottery ticket. The man told the victim he living in the U.S. illegally and did not want to claim the ticket because of his immigration status, according to police.

A woman, whom police identified as Daisy Castillo Badillo, approached the victim and the man with the lottery ticket. Badillo told them that she could help them claim the prize, according to police. They contacted another man who identified himself as a lottery employee. He said they needed to pay him in order to claim the prize.

The victim agreed to pay the second man as long as the others reimbursed her and paid her additional money from the winnings.

The victim then drove Badillo and the man with the lottery ticket to the Bank of America in the 12100 block of Veirs Mill Road, where she withdrew $9,000. She then drove them to the Bank of America in the 2600 block of University Boulevard, withdrew an additional $4,500, and gave all the money to the two passengers, according to police.

When the man posing as a lottery employee was contacted, he told them he needed the victim to provide copies of three bills to confirm her identity and show she was financially stable, according to police.

The victim drove to her home to recover the documents, but when she came outside she discovered the man with the lottery ticket and Badillo had fled with all her money. The two were seen driving a black Mitsubishi SUV, according to police.

As part of his investigation, Vendemio submitted fingerprints taken from the victim's vehicle to the law enforcement database. On July 13, a positive result linked one of the fingerprints to Badillo, who lives in the 300 block of South Catalina Street in Los Angeles, California, according to police. After being shown a photograph of Badillo, the victim confirmed that she was one of the people who scammed her.

Vendemio obtained an arrest warrant, charging Badillo with theft by deception related charges. With the help of the Los Angelos Police Department, Badillo was taken into custody at her home at the end of August. She was extradited on Tuesday to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit and released on an unsecured personal bond on Wednesday.

Police described the scammer who said he had a winning lottery ticket as a Hispanic male with short black hair. He was about 25-years-old, stood 5-foot-7, and weighed 140 pounds. At the time of the incident, he was wearing jeans and a shirt with a white/black square design. No information was available about the appearance of the third suspect.

Anyone who has information about this case or believes they may have been a victim of the same scam is asked to call the 4th District Patrol Investigations Unit at 240-773-5530 or contact Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). Callers may remain anonymous.