Adnkronos (Adnkronos) –
A story of fraud, criminal convictions, and a €500 scratch-off ticket that disappeared and was never claimed. A guest on "La volta buona," Maria recounted her story, after her partner allegedly stole her winning ticket and never returned it. The man was convicted and served his sentence, but the half-million-euro scratch-off ticket has never been heard from again.
The story dates back to 2016, when Maria met the man who introduced himself as a Swiss businessman. A romance blossomed between them, and over time, she lent him €34. Then, the winning ticket for €500 arrived. Her partner offered to keep it in his safe, but when she began asking him to return it, he stalled.
Maria decides to investigate and discovers that the man is using a false surname. With the help of a tobacconist, she manages to trace his true identity. Shortly thereafter, she receives an envelope, but inside is no winning ticket: only a collage made from other tickets. When Maria decides to report him, the man disappears. She then contacts the Guardia di Finanza, and the collection of her winnings is blocked.
“I'm glad it happened this way. The ticket disappeared, I didn't see it and he didn't see it either. I'm glad it happened this way, even if it may seem crazy.”
The man was convicted, but Maria was only given back €2 of the €34 she had lent. "It was a tragedy, a few years have passed now. I've come to terms with it, I wasn't under the bridge. I've come to terms with it," she explained to Caterina Balivo. And Maria has clear ideas about the man. Her anger has subsided, but her bitterness is still intense: "They're so clever and skilled that a decent person couldn't be so Machiavellian." And about the note, which she believes is still in the man's hands, she concluded: "Just wait, maybe one day he'll be able to collect it in full. He's also as stupid and ignorant as hunger, he's keeping it there without doing anything about it."
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