The State - News from Sept. 25, 1986

The first person to be tried in the “Big Spin” sting of the California Lottery has been found guilty of forgery. William C. Payne, 26, of San Pablo allegedly mailed a forged scratch-off ticket to the lottery on Dec. 20. The ticket, if real, would have been worth $100 and a chance at a Big Spin grand prize drawing. Payne and several others accused of independently doing the same thing were invited to the Cal Expo grounds in Sacramento on March 26 for a fake Big Spin and were arrested by lottery agents. Payne was also convicted by a Sacramento County Municipal Court jury of presenting a fraudulent claim to the state. He faces a possible jail term of up to two years and a fine of $2,000.