Waltham Lottery Winner Charged With State Benefits Fraud

A Waltham man is facing criminal charges for fraud because he failed to disclose large lottery winnings while receiving state health benefits.

Frank Basile, of 41 Bright St., is charged with fraudulently receiving more than $17,000 in state health benefits while failing to disclose his lottery winnings, according to WCVB-TV. Basile earned more than $300,000 from the lottery between 2008 and December of 2011.  

James Casey, 42, of Belmont, faces similar charges for collecting more then $12,000 in state health benefits and more than $1,000 in food support benefits from March 2009 to December of last year, while earning more than $700,000 in lottery winnings. A judge set a June 5 arraignment date for Casey, and an Aug. 24 pre-trial conference.

Basile appeared in court on May 31, without an attorney, saying the case is a misunderstanding. He calls himself a professional gambler. 

Investigators believe Basile is what is known as a “ten percenter,” somebody who cashes lottery tickets on behalf of others and then pockets 10 percent for himself, according to WBZ-TV. Investigators say Basile is possibly doing it for people trying to avoid paying child support or back taxes, according to WBZ-TV.

The charges result from an investigation by the State Auditor’s office working with the MassHealth program as well as the Department of Transitional Assistance. 

For more information, see the WBZ-TV story or WCVB-TV story.