NYC clerk accused of palming $14M lotto ticket

New York state officials say a Queens convenience store clerk tried to scam a 72-year-old man out of a winning lottery ticket worth $14 million.

Milledge McCassell, of Queens, says he stopped in at the store to check his weekly lottery picks, and was thrilled when an electronic scanner flashed the message, “Big Winner!” But he said the clerk operating the machine told him the ticket was a loser, and said he’d thrown it in the trash.

McCassell left, dejected, but the owner of the shop that had sold the ticket told him not to give up. He called in state lottery officials, who then sent the State Police.

When the clerk was confronted, he handed the ticket over.