Scumbags at Fox News

On 01/22/02 100% Service-Connected Disabled Veteran, and founder of the Civil Rights Group www.VetsForJustice.com  hit 4 out of 5 numbers on the Fantasy Five and was entitled to a roll down payout of $843 from the Florida Lottery. Kidwell called the Florida Lottery Fort Myers District Office and explained that he was a disabled Veteran with one side numb, and many medical problems, and asked what the procedure was for cashing his winning lottery ticket. He was told by the Fort Myers District Lottery Office that they had disability access, and that it would take only 20 to 30 minutes to cash his $843 winning ticket.

Kidwell arrived at the Florida Lottery District Office in Fort Myers and noticed there was no available handicapped parking and he had to part a block away, causing great hardship on him because of a numb side, and bad leg he has. By the time he had walked to the small lottery office Kidwell was in considerable pain from his bad leg, and had a severe burning pain in his leg.

Kidwell was then surprised to find the Lottery Office had no available chairs and that there was standing room only. There was a long line at a cashing window. There was no place he could sit down to get the pain off his bad leg and so he tried to lean in a corner to take some weight off his leg. Kidwell complained to several people in line on 01/24/02 at the district office in Fort Myers about how the Florida Lottery had lied to him about having access for the disabled, and then he complained to Lottery Officials at Fort Myers. That can be confirmed by finding from Florida Lottery Records who cashed winning tickets that day at Fort Myers.

Fort Myers Lottery Officials told Kidwell that his wife, Tana Kidwell, could get in line for him to cast his winning ticket because Kidwell was disabled and unable to stand in line. They said they knew it was Billy Kidwell’s ticket.

As Kidwell’s wife was filing out the form she came to a part where it said that she must state it was her lottery ticket. She asked the lottery officials what to do and they told her they knew it was her husband’s ticket, but that she should use her name because Kidwell was disabled and could not cast the ticket himself.

The lottery office was full of people cashing tickets that heard this!

Kidwell’s wife turned in the papers and they waited. An hour passed. Then two. Everyone else was being paid in about 20 minutes so Kidwell had my wife go to the window and ask what was going on but lottery officials kept getting rude and saying “We’ll call you when it’s ready”.

After almost three hours their minor child was crying and Kidwell was getting sick from leaning on a bad leg three hours he I limped to the window and demanded a manager. The manager came to the window extremely mad because Kidwell had demanded to speak to him and he said that there was a “Hold on Kidwell’s ticket by Children and Families.”

Kidwell explained that he had never dealt with children and families at which the lottery manager said “Your wife must owe them money.”

Kidwell stated that it was his ticket, and lottery officials KNEW it was his ticket. The Lottery Manager stated “If your wife owes money then you have to pay it”.

Before getting married Florida Children and families had claimed Kidwell’s future wife owed an overpayment and had went to a hearing on it. The judge ruled it was an “Agency Error” and that Kidwell’s future wife did not have to pay them anything. She was found not guilty of owing. It was a mistake they said.

Yet in the first year they were married Kidwell’s wife’s $3,000 income tax check was held up because Florida Children and families claimed she owed a $58 overpayment for food stamps. They took $58 from her income tax.

The next year Florida Children and families AGAIN claimed that she owed the same exact $58 and stole it from her income tax even though she had already paid it once in full.

This happened again a third year. I personally know that Florida Children and families owes my wife! They had collected on the same FRAUDULENT debt three times!

Being extremely upset, and in extreme pain, Kidwell left and went to the Florida Department of Children and Families, about two blocks from the Florida Lottery District Office in Fort Myers. Kidwell explained to them what happened, and the Florida Department of Children and Families checked their computer and said that Florida Lottery Officials were lying. That neither Kidwell, or his wife, owed them a penny. According to the Florida Department of Children and Families the Florida Lottery was running a con game to STEAL our money.

Kidwell drove back to the Florida Lottery District Office and asked for the manager. He was extremely cross and did not want to talk to Kidwell. Kidwell then said he wanted them to call the police because Kidwell wanted to press charges against Lottery Officials for stealing his winning lottery ticket. The manager then said he would talk to Kidwell.

Kidwell gave the lottery manager a card with the phone number of the Florida Department of Children and Families Manager from down the street, and told him they would confirm that neither Kidwell, nor his wife, did not owe Children and families one penny.

The lottery manager stated that he did not care what some manager at Florida Children and Families told him that he had a “Hold” and would not pay Kidwell. He said he was keeping an $843 winning ticket for an alleged $58 debt. (That had already been paid three times.)

The Lottery Manager refused to explain how he could keep an $843 winning ticket for an alleged $58 debt. Or why he wouldn’t give Kidwell the rest of the money due.

Kidwell filed a Pro Se Federal Lawsuit against the State of Florida, and the Florida Lottery, at Fort Myers Florida because of Florida Statute 24.105 where it was the intent of the people of Florida, and the legislature of Florida, that the Florida Lottery could be sued like any other corporation.

For over a year Florida Lottery Officials lied to Kidwell, and his hired process servers, about where the Summons, and Complaint, should be served. Lottery Secretary Rebecca Mattingly, and the Lottery Officials under her, acted like common criminals dodging service of the Summons, and Complaint.

Such conduct by a Florida State Official against a Florida Citizen shows the contempt Florida Lottery Officials have for Florida Citizens, and the legal process. And it severely “taints” the lottery, since millions, and millions, of dollars are in the hands of people that act like common criminals. It makes “Any Reasonable Person” wonder if the Florida Lottery Drawings are honest, under the circumstances.

After all, if Florida Lottery Officials would go to such extremes to steal an $834 prize from a Disabled Veteran, “Any Reasonable Person” would strongly distrust their control of millions of dollars.

As a result of all the hanky-panky by Florida Lottery Officials dodging service of the Summons and Complaint for a year the Federal Court ORDERED the U.S. Marshal to serve the Summons and Complaint on Lottery Officials.

Next Rebecca Mattingly, and her attorneys, showed a complete lack of morals by ADMITTING in a Motion to Dismiss that All of the Allegations by Kidwell were true. 

In Case 2:02-CV-38-FTM-29DNF on 29 May 2003 Rebecca Mattingly ADMITTED ;

This story explains why the Administration does not have the few millions it would take for them to keep their promises to America's Veterans. Under "W" Bush's leadership the super rich corporate thieves are stealing so much from us tax payers that our grandchildren will have to be taxed at 80 %, or more, to keep our government from falling.

Keep in mind not only do we have to pay off the national debt, sooner or later, but we also have to pay interest on the national debt each year.

Just the interest on "W" Bush's national debt from his first 4 years will wipe out Social Security! To read about the massive waste, and mismanagement, in Washington click below. (It's really stealing. Nobody "loses" a trillion dollars!)

In an attempt to hush up, and cover up, numerous criminal acts by Florida Lottery Officials the Secretary of the Florida Lottery, Rebecca Mattingly has had her attorney, Kenneth H. Hart, Jr. send an extremely harassing letter, full of threats, to Disabled Veteran Billy Kidwell.

On 01/22/02 Kidwell had a winning Florida Lottery Ticket for $843. When he went to cash it there was no place to sit down at the lottery office, and being a disabled Combat Veteran with a bad leg, and back, Kidwell was not able to stand in line to cash his ticket.

Kidwell explained he was a severely disabled Veteran and unable to stand and asked Florida Lottery Officials for assistance. Instead they tricked him out of his ticket, in front of a large crowd of witnesses, and stole it from him.

Florida Citizens wanted their lottery to be honest so they passed a Florida Law 24.105 allowing Florida Citizens to sue the lottery. Kidwell filed suit for the $843 lottery officials had stolen from him.

For over a year Florida Lottery Officials hid from paid process servers, to avoid service of the lawsuit, and acted like common criminals. At last the Federal Court had to ORDER the United State Marshal to serve Lottery Officials with the lawsuit because of all the hanky-panky.

Instead of addressing the allegations that the lottery had illegally stolen a winning ticket from a Veteran the Florida Lottery violated their own state law saying they could be sued, and used slick shyster lawyers to HIDE behind the immunity of the Eleventh Amendment.

Simply put, the Florida Lottery did not deny that it robbed Disabled Veterans. Instead Florida Lottery Officials said that they could break the law and were immune because of the Eleventh Amendment.

They used slick shyster lawyers, and every con game in the world in an attempt to avoid a fair hearing in Court.

They are crooks! They stole a ticket worth $843 from a Veteran. They couldn't stand going to a honest hearing. Because there are witnesses.

 So in essence they said "Okay, we may steal from Veterans but you can't do anything because states are immune from suit".

If the Florida Lottery will go to such an extreme to STEAL $843 from a disabled Veteran how can any reasonable person believe muli-million dollar drawings are honest?

Disabled Veterans "should" have basic human rights in Florida. There "should" be adequate handicapped parking at lottery offices, and Veterans with bad backs, and legs, should be given a chair to sit in.

Veterans "should" be given honest treatment.

But that's far from the end of this. Lottery Officials were fully aware that Kidwell also has a stress disorder so they harassed, and harassed, him for filing the lawsuit until they caused him to have a stress caused heart attack.

Fed up Kidwell on February 19, 2004 sent a letter to Lottery Secretary, Rebecca Mattingly asking her why the Florida Lottery would not abide by Florida Law. She responded by having her attorney, Kenneth H. Hart, Jr. send an extremely harassing letter, full of threats, to Disabled Veteran Kidwell.

The letter clearly wanted to shut Kidwell up about the massive corruption in the Florida Lottery, and how disabled Veterans are robbed by the lottery.

The letter fraudulently claimed that the "grievances of Kidwell against the lottery had been address by the Courts" and threatened him not to talk about the matter. Our response .....

Dear Secretary Rebecca Mattingly,

Violating Florida Lottery Law 24.105 that SPECIFICALLY says you can be sued like any other corporation by hiding from my process servers for a year, lying to them about the address where you want served for a year, and acting like a common criminal for a year is NOT "addressing my grievances."

Violating Florida Criminal Law 24.118 (2) by tricking me out of my ticket, and then violating Florida Law 24.105 by refusing to address these issues in Court and hiding like a common criminal behind the Eleventh Amendment is NOT addressing my grievances.

If lottery officials will go to such extremes to steal a mere $843 from a disabled Veteran then how can any person with common sense believe that your drawings for 15, and sometimes 20 million dollars, or more, are honest?

Surely someone that would use such shyster-like tactics to avoid an honest hearing on $843 they stole needs to be watched very closely when it comes to millions, and millions of dollars.

You have spent probably a hundred thousand dollars of the tax payers hard earned dollars to STEAL a mere $843 from a disabled Veteran. I've got news for you. You are going to have to spend a lot more.

You had a shyster attorney, Kenneth H. Hart, Jr., send me a letter and threaten me that I better shut up. That I am liable for telling the truth. That you will sue me.

Sue me! I've wanted a hearing on this all along. It is YOU who invoked the Eleventh Amendment to HIDE from a hearing where witnesses could testify as to how the lottery abuses Veterans, and steals from them. I want a trial!