June 20 - Prison guards at the Michigan Department of Corrections must be
grinding their teeth after hearing that one of the their former charges, who won
a $57 million Mega Millions lottery jackpot recently and opted
for a $34 million cash payout, doesn't owe the state a cent.
According to Michigan Attorney General, Mike Cox, ex-con, Fred Topous, of Kent
City has 'paid his debt to society in full and as such will not be required to
pay the state a single cent of his Mega Millions windfall to cover his
five years of room and board at the state's expense'.
After learning about Fred Topous' good fortune, officials from Michigan
Department of Corrections contacted the Michigan attorney general's office to
request that the ex-con pay back the state for his time spent being
rehabilitated, an estimated cost of $150,000 or $30,000 per year.
In response, a spokesperson on behalf of the attorney general's office, Rusty
Hills, said, 'As long as a prisoner has been discharged from the Michigan
Department of Corrections, we cannot begin litigation to cover the cost of his
care, which is the case with Mr. Topous.
Topous was released from the Michigan Department of Corrections in October 2006
on parole, after landing himself in and out of prison since 1983. When asked
about the lucky Mega Ball?winner's time in prison, a prison spokesperson said he
'had a decent record while inside and found a job after he was paroled'.
Just in case you may be reading this and thinking to yourself that good things
do happen to 'unlucky' people, you might bear in mind that Topous' most serious
conviction involved a criminal sexual misconduct charge in 1999 surrounding the
13-year-old daughter of his then boss.
Initially charged with third-degree sexual assault and giving alcohol to a
minor, Topous pleaded guilty to an assault with intent charge and was sentenced
to 5 1/2 to 10 years in prison. Since winning the Mega Millions lottery jackpot,
Topous has said he that he'll use the money to pay for his kids' education.
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