Sleuths to face many layers in Iowa Lottery probe

Published On: Jan 28 2012 01:07:05 PM CST  Updated On: Jan 28 2012 01:06:33 PM CST

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -- Criminal investigators looking into the suspicious circumstances behind a now-withdrawn claim for a $14.3 million Iowa Lottery jackpot will have numerous layers of complexity to unravel, stretching from a wealthy New York City suburb to Belize.

Crawford Shaw of Bedford, New York withdrew his claim for the jackpot Thursday after weeks of refusing to tell the Lottery the identity of the person who bought the ticket and anyone who possessed it before he did. He said he represented a New York-based trust whose proceeds would benefit a corporation in Belize.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said Friday it's investigating whether anyone committed a crime related to the purchase and presentation of the winning ticket.

A New York lawyer representing a company suing Shaw for fraud says he is elusive and "many-layered."

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