Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry announced today the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office has filed charges against three individuals involved in the fraudulent claim in October 2014 of a $2 million Hoosier Lottery prize. The winning lottery ticket is believed to have been falsely redeemed by Ashlee Campbell, then fiancée to Joseph Parsley, who was associated with the owner and manager of Parsley’s Liquor, which at one time was an authorized Hoosier Lottery retailer.
Jackie Parsley II, Ashlee (Campbell) Parsley and Joseph Parsley have been charged with Corrupt Business Influence (Level 5 Felony), False Passing of a Lottery Ticket (Level 5 Felony), Theft (Level 5 Felony), two counts of Theft (Class A Misdemeanor), four counts of Forgery (Level 6 Felony) and five counts of Money Laundering (Level 6 Felony). Additionally, Jackie Parsley II is charged with Unauthorized Purchase of a Lottery Ticket by a Retailer (Class A Misdemeanor). Ashlee (Campbell) Parsley is also charged with Perjury (Level 6 Felony) for asserting under oath on the Hoosier Lottery’s Winner Claim Form that the purchaser of the of the ticket was not prohibited by law from purchasing a lottery ticket. Indiana law prohibits a retailer or employee of the retailer from purchasing lottery tickets at the premises where the retailer is authorized to sell tickets.
A joint investigation between the Hoosier Lottery Security Division and the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office Grand Jury Division began in November 2014 when the estate executor for the late owner of Parsley’s Liquor reported his suspicions to the Hoosier Lottery. The store has since been sold and now operates in Plainfield, Ind. under a new name and owners. The license to sell lottery products at Parsley’s Liquor was not renewed in June 2014, due to management identifying to the Lottery a pending sale of the store. The scratch-off ticket dispensers had been removed, and the lottery terminal was deactivated by the Hoosier Lottery.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the estate executor told investigators he heard there had been a winning lottery ticket sold from the business. He researched the publicly available winning ticket information and found Ashlee Campbell had claimed the jackpot of a scratch off game with the top prize of $2 million. Ashlee Campbell was known to him as the fiancée of Joseph Parsley. He believed that Jackie Parsley II, who was the manager of Parsley’s Liquor and brother of Joseph Parsley, had not told him about the winning ticket being sold and claimed from the packs of tickets owned by Parsley’s Liquor.
The investigation determined on Sept. 26, 2014, a pack of Hoosier Lottery scratch-off tickets containing one of the game’s top prizes was activated by Jackie Parsley II at Parsley’s Liquor on the store’s newly reactivated terminal. Between Sept. 26 and Oct. 5, seven tickets from the same pack were redeemed for amounts ranging between $20.00 and $50.00 at other Hoosier Lottery retailers. On Oct. 3, 2014, Ashlee Campbell redeemed the lottery ticket with the top prize of $2 million. Video surveillance viewed with the assistance of the U.S. Secret Service computer forensic examination unit confirmed the timeline of events.
A separate civil forfeiture action has been filed on cash and property believed to be purchased with lottery winnings
The case has been assigned to Criminal Court 5. All three defendants are currently in custody in other counties. An initial hearing will be set in Marion County after they are transferred to the Marion County Jail.
A charge of a crime is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
