When convicted sex offender Timothy Poole won a $3 million prize in the Florida lottery this month, the news was met with shock and more than a little horror.
The Florida Lottery promptly took Poole’s photo off its Web site. “We chose to not draw additional attention to this particular winner,” a spokeswoman noted at the time.
In 2001, Poole was arrested and charged with sexual battery; in a deal with prosecutors, he pleaded guilty to attempted sexual battery of a child under the age of 12, according to reports. That case involved a boy who was 9 years old at the time of the abuse.
Now two brothers who claim to be Poole’s victims are suing him in the wake of his improbable lottery win. The brothers, who say they were 9 and 5 years old when they were abused in 1996, hope a judge will prevent Poole from spending all of his winnings, according to the Orlando Sentinel:
Their attorneys, Mark NeJame and Jason Recksiedler, are seeking a court order to freeze Poole’s newfound fortune until the proceedings are over because Poole may “squander, hide or otherwise dispose of assets,” according to the suit.
Poole was sentenced to three years in prison in the case and now works at a taxi cab company. He was also required to register as a sex offender. According to WKMG, he was kicked out of a mandatory sex offender counseling program because he failed to attend several sessions.
Poole has maintained his innocence in the case, despite accepting the plea deal.
There are no laws in Florida prohibiting sex offenders from playing the lottery. Poole won with a scratch-off lottery ticket he bought at a 7-Eleven and he chose to take a lump sum payment, leaving him with more than $2.2 million.
The brothers claim that Poole abused them for more than a year. According to the Sentinel, Florida no longer has a statue of limitations for cases involving the sexual battery of victims younger than 16.
“We are not attempting to get him any additional prison time,” said their attorney Mark NeJame, according to the Sentinel. “He has served his time to society, but he has not served his dues for the alleged massive damage caused to these children.”
Source: The Washington Post
