A man who defrauded his friends of a multi-million dollar jackpot learns his fate

[projekktor id=’25321′]

He tried to collect a $7 million prize all for himself, leaving members of his lottery group out of the jackpot. Even though 67-year-old Frank Galella was sentenced for fraud today he still picked up a cheque for his actual portion of the winnings.

Frank Galella said nothing as he left court after a judge called him a cheat and a fraud. The retired Niagara Falls city worker will serve 2 years under house arrest as part of his sentence. Galella was part of a group of 11 people who routinely met at a Tim Horton’s on Dorchester road in Niagara Falls. They would pool their money to play the lottery and according to the agreed statement of facts Galella was responsible for buying and checking the tickets.

In July 2013 Galella struck gold but he asked his daughter to claim the winning ticket as her own rather than splitting it with the group. Several group members grew suspicious and contacted the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. His daughter, Joanna Galella was also facing charges but those were dropped today.

The OLG paid out 10 of the lottery group winners their share. Galella is still entitled to his share of the winnings, which works out to about $640 000. Galella picked up his cheque last week but about half of it will be used to pay down the $325 000 fine ordered by the courts.