Court orders lottery to reveal details of disputed winner
A court has ordered the company behind the Powerball lottery to reveal the details of a winner, who is accused of making off with millions that should have gone to his mates.
Fourteen former workmates of 49-year-old Gary Baron have accused him of ripping them off to the tune of about $1 million each after taking a $16.7 Powerball win for himself.
Baron has admitting winning the lottery but said he did so with a separate ticket, and not the one purchased on behalf of himself and a group of workmates.
The group of 14 workers from Toll at Geelong went before Victoria’s Supreme Court this morning to ask Tattslotto to reveal the details of the suspect winning ticket.
The court agreed and Tattersalls now has 14 days to comply. The workers hope the revelations will prove they are the rightful owners of a share of the winnings.
The 'Powerball 14' may also ask the court to freeze the winnings until the matter is resolved.
The group, as well as Baron and a woman believed to be his girlfriend, were part of a syndicate, which entered the lottery when major jackpots were up for grabs.
However, the group became suspicious of Baron after he started behaving strangely shortly after three winners across Australia shared in a $50 million jackpot in October, 2014.
Baron reportedly called in sick the day after the prize was announced and retired shortly afterwards.
The story took a coincidental twist when one of the couriers at the Toll logistics company was hired to deliver a bottle of champagne to Baron courtesy of Tattersalls.
The story has become a media sensation in Australia over the past week as the former friends pursued Baron.
Since winning the lottery, Baron has purchased a property in the Geelong suburb of Lara for himself and another for his son. He has also become the new owner of a $200,000 BMW M4 convertible.
In a recent confrontation with some of his former colleagues, Baron has again insisted he is the rightful winner of the millions, saying he would buy a beer for the group of upset workers when he is proven correct.
