Sex Offender Wins Lottery, Victims Promptly Sue

A convicted sex offender who won $3 million in the Florida lottery has been sued by his victims.

News4Jax reports that Timothy Poole won the $3 million from a scratch off ticket at a 7-Eleven in Mount Dora, FL he purchased Dec. 6. Mount Dora is an Orlando suburb located to the northwest of downtown Orlando.

In 2002, Poole pled guilty to the sexual battery of a 9-year-old boy in 1999. The lawsuit was filed in Orange County Court, FL by the 9-year-old victim and another, 5-year-old victim that were family friends of Poole's. The relationship was so close that the victims would often spend time at Poole's home before his crimes were known.

A detective who interviewed the victims said that Poole would often sleep in the same bed as the victims and perform sexual acts on them, according to News4Jax. Poole would also roust the victims from their sleep to abuse them.

Poole ultimately spent more than a year in prison for his crimes. He also had to register as a sex offender and was placed on sex offender probation for 10 years. The lawsuit against Poole was filed two weeks after he purchased the winning ticket.

Poole elected to receive his winnings as a lump sum. After taxes, he received $2,219,807.90

The victims' basis for the lawsuit are claims of depression, post traumatic stress, and physical issues that arose from the attacks. The lawsuit also argues that the victims must be compensated because they will have to undergo various treatments for the rest of their lives.

The lawsuit also asked that Poole's assets be frozen to prevent him from fleeing the country, or spending all of the money before the lawsuit can proceed.