Boyden Woman Pleads Guilty To Selling Fraudulent Super Bowl Tickets
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa woman has pleaded guilty to duping dozens of
people into buying nonexistent tickets to the Super Bowl and other big events.
Federal court records say Ranae Van Roekel, of Boyden, entered her pleas
Thursday in U.S. District Court in Sioux City. Her charges: mail and income tax
fraud.
Prosecutors say Van Roekel was a self-employed ticket broker who ran the
business Get ’em Now Tickets from January 2008 to June 2012. Victims say she
falsely claimed to have personal relationships and ties to events that gave her an
inside track for deeply discounted tickets, hotel rooms and VIP passes.
Her sentencing date hasn’t been set. Prosecutors say she faces up to 20 years
on the mail fraud conviction and up to eight years on the tax conviction.
Human Remains Found Near Council Bluffs
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Human remains that officials think are at least 100
years old have been found at a Council Bluffs construction site.
The Daily Nonpareil reports (https://bit.ly/2af3VUL ) that the bones were found
Thursday by construction workers who were moving around dirt at the site.
Police say the bones will be given to the State Archaeologist Office for more
examination.
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Thousands of People Purchasing Powerball Tickets
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Powerball players will have a shot at the nation’s eighth-largest lottery jackpot this weekend, but they’ll face long odds that have resulted in nearly three months without a winner.
Anyone who matches all five balls and red Powerball on Saturday night could win a $478 million annuity paid over 29 years or opt for a $330.6 million cash prize.
No one has matched all the numbers since the May 7 drawing.
This jackpot is less than a third of the record $1.6 billion Powerball won in January, but is the fifth-largest in the game’s history.
