Florida lottery winners' money taken by the state, I-Team helps get it back
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- Опубліковано 20 вер 2024
- Thousands of Floridians have had their lottery winnings withheld by the state because they were overpaid in unemployment - or so they were told.
Bless that reporter for helping those people!
Amen.!! This is awesome.!!
Let me guess nobody has been fired for this ??
Why would they get fired for doing what the State wants which is to deny payment.
@@duancoviero9759because they all crooks
Sadly it's probably not a person-to-person basis - its the whole system.
There were probably promotions because of this.
Why would anyone get fired? This is no different than Civil Asset Forfeiture.
HOW PETTY CAN A STATE GET. DISGUSTING. TAKING FROM THE POOR AND NOT THE RICH.
It’s not the state. 🙄 It’s the lottery office.
Following the behavior of the federal government.
The rich will fight back, a poor person will write it off as bad luck striking again.
The rich prey on the poor because the poor lack the funds to fight & win & win the rich take power they become out of control. The love of money is the root of all evil.👺
It's Florida did you expect anything better?
This was no “Mistake” on the part of Florida.
Straight thievery
EXACTLY. They were hoping they would go away.
How they don’t forget charge taxes by mistake or send people 100.000 dls check by mistake
This is me on here and what you are saying is false know you facts before speaking on anything . This was a mistake and if it wasn’t why did I get ALL my money back ? 🤔
@davidfromamerica1871 and obviously your brain is not functioning correctly . Your profile name says David from America and you know you are from out of space 😂 it’s okay that you never get to win anything 😅
Take them to court and sue and audit them
This. A forensic audit will help get to the bottom of this.
Exactly the lotto office does not get to just decide on their own to seize the funds. A judge needs to do that.
You can't sue the government 😂
@@SundayCookingRemix yes you can
That would have to be some independent entity allowed by court or audited by the feds
Class action lawsuit! Why does the news have to get involved for the government to do their job? This country thrives on dysfunction.
You said it
Dysfunction allows corruption
Corruption creates dysfunction
It's a NEVER ending revolving circle
This country was created on dysfunction.
That's Florida for you
@@loreanjenkins3777 ..and a lot of other places in the country!
The entire system is a ponzi scheme.
I bet there is a state employee pocketing this money. Fraud/embezzlement of funds.
Bingo!
That part! 💯
"A?"
Yes
Government determined they're entitled to be paid back for all the public assistance they dole out.
The lotto money has nothing to do with unemployment money, or your income.
It's my first time hearing that lotto can do this. I owe student loans. If I won around 15k, I want to invest with it and double the amount. Then I'll pay student loans back and keep the rest to invest again.
Exactly.
Unfortunately unemployment is state funded. If you owe them they will take your lottery winnings. I owe for traffic tickets and the state sent me a letter saying they were taking my winnings.
It does if you owe somewhere else, and they lie and say that they’re holding your money up because you owe on unemployment or the IRS it’s all linked together. If you owe you don’t get your lottery winnings you need to pay attention to the story.
Unemployment is state money just like the lottery. The problem is the state |ied and said they owed unemployment overpayment when they didn't.
I'm sure they will respond when you file that Multi million dollar civil rights lawsuit against these idiots who work for the state of Florida
Look up Florida's history of selling men women and children into SLAVERY! That should tell you why Florida has never paid reparations to Black people! The religious right keep talking about law and order as they steal from everyone they can! Just listen to them talk about shoplifters, as if they can talk.
They are giving these winners a hard time by withholding the money, they hope they will stop calling and complaining about it so they can keep their money.
The company sounds crooked, when it is timd to pay they don't want to pay.
The state doing this to the winners is like insurance denying your claim because they say your illness or injury was a pre-existing condition when they can't prove it
Look up Florida's history of selling men women and children into SLAVERY! That should tell you why Florida has never paid reparations to Black people! The religious right keep talking about law and order as they steal from everyone they can! Just listen to them talk about shoplifters, as if they can talk.
Can u imagine how many victims have been scammed by the Florida Lottery Commission??? After this crap, I’ll Never buy a Lotto ticket ever again
If you don't play, you can't lose.
TRUE @@Qrayon
I hope they are following up on the lottery in Maryland where the guy was told to trash his winning ticket. The lottery company made the " mistake " and didn't want to pay him.
I'm thinking it wasn't a one time thing.
@Qrayon not entirely accurate. Consider the way the economy is going, including corporate fraud andinflation..
Write a book ,call it " RIGGING THE GAME "
Sounds like a scam and they're probably still doing it
Play stupid games win stupid prizes...
She is a great reporter! Dedicated to getting an answer and not giving up!
Florida treats their residents so poorly. Yet people are stilling flocking there. It’s mind blowing.
It's the weather. Damn shame there are insane "hidden" fees once there.
Look up Florida's history of selling men women and children into SLAVERY! That should tell you why Florida has never paid reparations to Black people! The religious right keep talking about law and order as they steal from everyone they can! Just listen to them talk about shoplifters, as if they can talk.
LMFAO!!!
stop crying about the BEST state in the union. You dont live here, THATS why you are ignorant to why people LOVE IT here.
Stop being so bitter and ignorant.
it treats its poor residents like trash and thats the way the transplants coming here like it they hate the government helping the poor and struggling
The unemployment department always gets the overpaid money back. How it is legal for them to keep someone else lottery wins? Ridiculous.
The point of the story is that they were not overpaid. This was theft plain and simple by the state of Florida.
Look up Florida's history of selling men women and children into SLAVERY! That should tell you why Florida has never paid reparations to Black people! The religious right keep talking about law and order as they steal from everyone they can! Just listen to them talk about shoplifters, as if they can talk.
@@sweet2f41yep and they do the same with EBT, Social Security and Medicaid they make it this way on purpose so people give up and not they top get their money
Wow, that lottery office AND the unemployment office need to be investigated!!!
Look up Florida's history of selling men women and children into SLAVERY! That should tell you why Florida has never paid reparations to Black people! The religious right keep talking about law and order as they steal from everyone they can! Just listen to them talk about shoplifters, as if they can talk.
And this is why we need journalism in America and the News because this is the only way these problems will be ever addressed
Look up Florida's history of selling men women and children into SLAVERY! That should tell you why Florida has never paid reparations to Black people! The religious right keep talking about law and order as they steal from everyone they can! Just listen to them talk about shoplifters, as if they can talk.
Bravo helping those people robbed by the state. 👏👏👏👍
Sounds like some state employee are taking this money and. someone keeping it form the actual winner...
From Black people I bet.
I can near guarantee that none of these winners owe unemployment more than their winnings. Wouldn't it be easier to just deduct it from the winnings? Or, even easier, garnish their actual wages for what is owed, like normal government should be doing?
Florida is NOT the only state that does this.
Really? That's wild. What other state does it. Let me guess, Georgia.
How about all of them @@44zeex
All the other RED states do it too!
@@44zeexall the states.
Oooh yes Florida certainly is the home of scammers! Go watch American Greed
If so many people were supposedly overpaid unemployment why wasn’t anyone fired for miscalculating the amount?
People who make that much in those jobs, don't actually do their jobs right and they gatekeep their positions for years no matter how many complaints they get
Bingo 🎯
Lottery, another form of tax taxation of the poor. Best solution to this issue is to boycott the lottery altogether.
Exactly! Those are not people that can afford to gamble.
If you don't play, you can't lose!
If you don't play, you've already won.
@@Qrayon
I agree, the lottery is a form of gambling
Sure is!
@@marthaperdew
This is the State of Florida. Is anyone Truly Really Surprised?
Nope. Not at the peckerwood state.
Not at all. Once I heard Florida I knew.
Yes! A better word is disappointed.
@@Qrayon U Truly Really don't live in Florida, do u? Think before you speak
@@Qrayon This wouldn't have happened when Jeb Bush was Governor in Florida, but now Florida has a Fascist Nazi for a Governor!! End of Story
Thanks Mrs. McGivern & i-team for helping these individuals get their money back.
Florida treats their residents horribly
Yeah and also humid and a lot of hurricanes too. I'd visit Tampa, but dang I'll never live there. Plus this sounds like a scam, because the state never claimed you was "overpaid" in unemployment until right when you won money in the lottery. If this is happening in Florida and that's a red state, omg I can only imagine what'll happen here in North Carolina, a purple state, when I win money from the lottery.
😂 new York treats their people a ton worse matter of fact what state exactly treats their people great again?
I lived in Murphy , NC for three years. it is a bankrupted state, has no money except for the bootlickers who cry the most , I guest..
I never received a tax reimbursement from that state ever. they just take , take , take and never give anything back except grief ..@@MobileGamingChronicles
@mylamberfeeties875 i lived in NY you guys pay a lot of state tax..lol Alaska is my best guess
Look at who their governor is
Florida is a hell hole. This reporter Is a ray of sunshine for people.
It's the Sunshine State!
only a hell-hole for criminals & scam artists.
@@tonyrussi7777 That's why I left it in the '70s. I was hoping it had changed for the better.
@WeLcOmEBaKDoood Well, I'm back, and I'm here to stay!!
@WeLcOmEBaKDoood Well, that's where the mean people were in the '70s, and I hear they're still there. I live in the Tampa Bay Area now.
They were ALL overpaid unemployment??!!
What about people who never collected unemployment
Look up Florida's history of selling men women and children into SLAVERY! That should tell you why Florida has never paid reparations to Black people! The religious right keep talking about law and order as they steal from everyone they can! Just listen to them talk about shoplifters, as if they can talk.
This is a Heart Warming Story😊 Great to see you helping to fix a broken system. Where theres smoke theres fire; an investigation needs to be done
I hope they file a class action lawsuit against the state.
Were those held funds paid back with interest?
If you pay child support in the state of FL even if your not behind they will take your lottery money .. I have seen it happen ..
Every state only takes if people are behind in paying their child support….none can take if you aren’t in arrears. So someone is lying about the fact they aren’t behind in paying. I’ve dealt with Florida, Texas, and Nevada child support….and they only take winnings or tax credits if someone owes amounts of child support they haven’t paid.
@starshine3588 The red states take whatever tf they want and get away with it! Sorry.. I've seen it with my own eyes!
Unemployment is a rigt for having had work and was let go due to no fault of your own. You do not have to pay that back.
FL is most assuredly in the wrong here with the complete failure of notice (no procedural due process) but I don’t think you understand the presumed underlying concept here. The state claimed people were OVERpaid, meaning they either were paid for weeks they actually worked. It varies by state but working even one day can be disqualifying for that week’s benefits purposes. It’s a common oversight (and an intentional act by others) that results in “double dipping,” i.e., collecting unemployment and pay from a new job for the same week(s). Or it could be a mistake solely made by the state where FL paid benefits at the wrong rate or made an incorrect benefits calculation for an applicant. Many states have begun clawing benefits back and it’s gone over about as well as you’d expect, that is, like a lead balloon
Exactly, I hear that too many times, that they want to keep the money somebody won. This is fraud
The humans who made the informed adult choice to steal these citizens money have names. Why are they not personally the object of lawsuits?
Thank you for continuing to fight for these lottery winners to get their winnings. It's certainly an unfair situation! 💯
This is what it looks like when a new station and a journalist are doing more for you and your community then the lawmakers and people getting really nice paychecks off your tax dollars
The tried to say my daughter owes unemployment, we didn’t stop til they gave in then saying she don’t owe them money, they the biggest scam
This is our problem in Florida with our government not doing their jobs. And making substantial money for a system which has failed us.
Others in comments are saying all the states do this. Crazy!
NO STATE AGENCY SHOULD BE SO DIFFICULT TO WORK WITH, BUT ESPECIALLY THE ONES DEALING WITH PEOPLE'S MONEY AND LIVELIHOOD. It’s BS!!!
If the reporter, who has connections, clout and a cameraman, spent her time trying to resolve some of the issues and it’s been a year or longer, can you imagine how difficult it must be for your average person to try to resolve them?? Sometimes I think States TEACH their employees to be difficult to deal with and unhelpful when responding to customers.
Kudos to this reporter for reporting on this type of issue!
Same thing happened with EBT Fraud.
Same thing happening in Ohio! Been happening!
Listen..if you were overpaid ANYTHING in the state of Florida, they would be down your throat and threatening you with jail time and you only have X amount of time to pay that money back! This is totally scummy of the state! Lottery people need to show proff or be fired, arrested for fraud, jailed and forced to pay their salary back to the state.
Thank You Ms. for helping the people of Florida
The more I hear about the state of FL, the happier I am that I don't have any business with the state.
The state stealing😮
Thank you gor stepping in to help. It matters that someone cares who has a VOICE. Thank you.
Where are the charges? If nothing was owing, where are the charges against the fraud that they committed?
Can the Institute for Justice get involved?
Now, how long did they think this scammy scam was gonna last??!!...🙄🙄
This is exemplary journalism
I’m not a winner or a Florida resident but I’m a fan of your action!! Thank you for all that you have done to help these families!
Yeah same with lawsuits. If you're on public assistance and you win a PI settlement, the government will take a big chunk of your money.
Journalism at its best, great job ABC.
They need to audit the states departments for lottery fraud
This happened to me last year when they told me I couldn’t collect my money, I was in shock. To make matters worse I found out it was due to unemployment. They took me through changes but I finally got my money.
The Unemployment fund is paid for by employers. I had a sm biz and quarterly i had to pay both State and federal unemployment on every worker. If a worker quit after a few years and didn't collect unemployment I never got my money back
Where did it go?
You can't collect unemployment if you "quit."
@@aquariusmoon771 I know you can't collect unemployment if you quit. So that means the state keeps the enemployment benefits that were paid on behalf of that person
Millions of uncollected benefits stay in the pockets of the states.
@@aquariusmoon771Actually there are some certain circumstances where you can get unemployment if you quit.
An employer in some states pays an unemployment tax, that TAX goes into the unemployment fund to pay those legitimately unemployed. Your taxes were not designated for your specific employees.
@@sfoster1186 I would think if there is a hostile work environment, you can quit yet get unemployment.
This news station really does help people, they helped me. It wasn't a big win but it was helpful to pay bills when we were short with the cost of everything going up.
Some of you people dont understand unemployment benefits.
You work for at least 18 months. You are no longer working for what ever reason. So, u file for unemployment compensation. It may be approved or denied.
It takes about 6 weeks to get that money in bi weekly payments. You report every week the jobs you applied for. You must be avail and ready to work.
Unemployment is NOT welfare. If you work, you pay into that.
Unemployment is not funds received that must be repaid. That would be a scam.
So what if she bought a lotto ticket or a few.
Mind. Your. Damn. Business.
Nobody tells you how to spend the money you earn. How dare any of you judge her.
If she was in wrong, she wouldnt have gotten the money she won.
I'd see what i could do to get interest on the funds they withheld.
Well said, it's crazy what state governments are allowed to do to their citizens. People keep voting these types of people into office that hire crooks. Who are then paid with those citizens taxed dollars.
Thank you love I went through hell trying to get my money I appreciate you for speaking up for me ❤
Exactly
When I win, they won't be able to do me wrong. I don't have children and have never taken unemployment in any state 😊
Hell, yes, Kylie is the best. Thank you for helping out all these people.❤🙏😇
Well done ABC❤👍!
5:08 I like that you credited Matt. There needs to be more of that.
Now that I think of it, that was pretty great. I have to admire that reporter. Dealing with government agencies can be so frustrating.
Florida is a very shady state. I have lived there for 7 years. I can list numerous things about how Shady Florida is but this comment would be very long. Everybody that's ever lived in Florida has had their issues with the state of Florida😅
I'll give one example of what happened to me I was riding my bike on a sidewalk crossing the crosswalk and a lady had a red light and pulled out in front of me and hit me on my bike. While I'm laying in the hospital a cop finally shows up and tries to give me a ticket not the lady that ran the red light and hit me .. I clearly argued with a cop for over a half an hour but he was so rude and so disrespectful that I finally just told him to give me the ticket I would see him in court needless to say I took this to court and I won because my accident was caught on film and it clearly showed the lady running the red light and hitting me
Happens all the time in Florida.
Happens in EVERY STATE 🙄
Wow
Florida isn’t the only state that takes winnings of lottery for numerous reasons….this happens in every state.
Why are you using the sidewalk instead of the bike lane?
The state has their money up front when we buy a ticket. They want what you are to get and really they do not care about the citizens. Delay, delay and delay is the states game. Hoping you will give up, go away, pass away and they then get to keep all the money. Shalom
States can't keep the money if you die it goes to your family. They can't keep the money under any circumstances unless you owe the federal government.
Florida does not seem to be the state for the average person. I'm not surprised the would happen in FL.
Aloha from Hawai’i 🌺 thank you for helping all these people get their winnings ! My mother lives in Florida and plays the lotto ( or what’s sold) with her last pennies thinking she can win. I hope that one day her dreams come true.
I trust the government as much as I trust a lake full of gators
I am so impressed with this reporter for not giving up! Wish we could clone her!
Horrible, CRUEL scam
This is crazy. It’s so awesome that she was able to get some money back, I hope that the real truth about what’s going on is uncovered.
I live in Missouri, & it took 7 months to get my tax refund back from the State.. It was only after I filled a 'small claims' & threatened to take The State of Missouri to court, that I received my returned.
Thiefs in Suits...WTF
And Hey Florida.... When you pay these Lottery Winners BACK...... Don't forget to pay them the Interest you collected on their money too...
I live in PA and I appreciate the news looking into this for the citizens ❤
Florida has no shame.
The lottery isn't the IRS.
Very close😂
Or maybe the are a secret agent for the IRS 🤷. At this point I don't trust anything that goes on in america.
WANNA BET ?
@sharonnycum5414 This is the state lottery. If you owe the state money, they can garnish winnings/wages. The reason this happened is, poor people(black, white, whatever) are usually the ones that play the lottery. The state figured they could take their money because they wouldn't be able to retain lawyers.
DUH! ITS ALL THE GOVERNMENT 🙄
Class action lawsuit, the unemployment system is broken all over the country. It’s all messed up, it’s time we the people demand change.
That's a shame. The state taking people money like that.
OF COURSE THIS IS HAPPENING! Look at who you have leading there...and you keep voting them in! Congratulations!
The Florida Lottery withholds federa tax without any authority under title 4 chapter 24 Florida Statutes and 26 USC.
4 USC 72 restricts the IRS in its operations to the District of Columbia and not elsewhere.
Florida doesn't hold any gambling taxes. Federal taxes are the US government not the state. State statues and laws do not apply to the federal government.
@@123terricamyou don't make sense, saying that Florida doesn't hold any gambling taxes.
It is quite apparent you have never read the IRC or tile IV Chapter 24 FS. The State of Florida is sovereign to the federal government. It is apparent also that you do not know of
4 USC 72 and how this statute restricts the IRS in its operations.
Quote or cite some law to back up what comes from your brain.
@@alvisjenkins1305 irrelevant. Google is free. You should learn how to apply the law before regurgitating something you picked from the Internet. All states are sovereign governments and that is irrelevant to anything at all. As a matter of fact it moreso supports me than refutes me to say that. That law would explain why Florida has zero income taxes and why income taxes vary from state to state. As for irs restrictions... Um so... Who cares because that's irrelevant to anything. The IRS is not run by Washington d.c. but by the United States of America. Thus the restrictions that apply to Washington d.c.(which isn't even a state but a territory belonging to the district of Columbia)have no bearings on the rest of the United States government. Why? Like you said the states are sovereign governments. The laws you mentioned have nothing at all to do with gambling or income taxes 🙄. Learning the law isn't just spitting out a bunch of irrelevant things. It's also knowing where to apply them. But you don't even need to be a lawyer for this. Like the lottery literally has a website that explains how it is played and state and federal regulations that are applicable to it. Each state is different and some don't even have a lottery at all. The issue is you're not trying to understand anything about how the world really works. You're trying to sidestep reality by throwing out b.s. not happening here though. Yes it's clear when you mention the same thing after being corrected that you have zero comprehension of how to apply the law. Basically it's the equivalent of giving a two year old a gun. There's a lot of power, unfortunately the owner doesn't know how to use it.
A real nut case replied to my comment as he not once cited any law backing up what was spewed from his mouth.
@@alvisjenkins1305 lol something tells me there is something wrong with a person who doesn't understand lottery rules yet tries to call others names because they are too lazy to actually get on the website that is open to everyone and read. Nothing spewed from my mouth. I'm not speaking. That being said I know now why you are incompetent. Thanks for sharing this. Oh my bad I'm sure you have no idea what that means. 😭😁😁😁
EXPOSURE / SHINING LIGHT on their WRONGDOING(S) is key..
👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 to the News station that stayed on top of it.
Kiley McGivern is a Superstar at what she does!
This video needs to go viral!
No that’s real journalism.
People make fun of NJ. Florida is the real armpit of the United States.
No that's nj. Florida has always been the boot😂😂
Former very happy NJ resident here. The state and property taxes pushed us to Florida. We miss our friends and our favorite dinner, but are very happy in Florida.
@@allenwalker1379: let us know when your insurance company drops you and the struggle to find an alternative provider. Property taxes are also rising as new assessments come into play.
The TRUE armpit of America is UNEDUCATED LAZY PEOPLE who have the ability to freaking GOOGLE OR USE A FREE LIBRARY 🙄 yet do not
Without a free press, where do you think this would go. Local news stations around the country are doing these kinds of investigations. It’s so important to shine light in the dark spaces of governments and industry.
Is this how Desatan was paying for his private jet travel when running for president? He trashed our Sunshine law so we can't find out.
Is anyone surprised by 1. It's Florida 2. Integrity is a thing of the past.
wonder what happens to all that power ball money
It goes to the winners. Florida doesn't have state lottery taxes. The rest goes to the federal government.
@@123terricam No, that is not true, it goes to administration of the corporation first, winners only get
a portion of the humongous amount of $$$$$$ making more money than daily sales of the game itself. You obviously don't know American Greed.
@@yosquidd242 no they get everything from the administration. The administration is not allowed to hold winnings advertised. The government however does hold taxes *federal and state, if it applies* (every state doesn't tax income and the taxes do vary from state to state) on the winnings, sans any debits owed,(that's why it seems like the winners get a portion, they actually get everything. ) in the states case this is income (unearned) thus taxes apply. If the winner chooses a lump sum option, they are given the amount with adjustments, so it's a smaller amount. The assumption is that the winner will be able to occur the same amount by placing the winnings in the bank for 30 years (the length of the annuity.) unclaimed monies go to the federal government. The lottery keeps money from ticket sales and gives a portion of that to support education and scholarships. Greed has nothing to do with how this works. It's not related to how individuals may feel, it is more related to how capitalism works. I appreciate your intelligent hypothesis on this., however it is clearly explained in the lottery rules how the money is issued to the winners.
The scratchoffs claim half goes to education lol😂 there would be golden desks. Do the math, overall winning tickets and odds of hitting main prize tell you how many total tickets there are. Even if each game only produced 10 million ..... And id guess there's more than 20 milly worth if losing tickets...
@@stephenroome7759 not half. They said some. Half can't go to education because they couldn't afford to pay staff or stores that sell tickets that way. It's more like 10 percent goes to education in the form of scholarships like bright future. Not half. Actually it's 25 percent.
Excellent journalism 🎉
You go girl! Take that action 😂
They was on bs!
This exact thing happened to my family member. He was over paid around $300.00 while homeless so he didn't get the mail sent. After ten years or so it was about $20,000.00. We paid it. Even after getting a lawyer still 20K
The only difference was it was in Arkansas and they brag on how much the citizens owes. Hint(it's in the millions)
Why should people have to pay for their mistakes, they sent a letter to my daughter saying she owes for overpayment in unemployment in 2014, that the job gave her OK for unemployment and now in 2023 they say she owes, our system and government are robbing people.
Whoever is in charge of making these decisions should be fired.
Dang those are some low salaries for Florida Dept of Commerce officials!
Florida is notorious for low salaries in almost all sectors because part of your paycheck comes in the form of Sunshine.
I truly have no clue why people choose to live in Florida.
They HOLDING PEOPLE MONEY! CHARGING US MORE
Great job media...nice to see we still have new outlets that are helping the communities!!!
People on unemployment playing lotto. Sounds right .
What’s this supposed to mean ?
It only takes one ticket to win! Jealous?