A Travis County grand jury reindicted Gary Grief, the former executive director of the Texas Lottery Commission, and indicted the Texas Lottery Commission on Wednesday.
Grief’s indictment says that he knowingly abused his position as head of the Texas lottery in connection with a Lotto Texas drawing on April 22, 2023, in which a single entity won the $95 million jackpot. He is accused of a criminal offense of abuse of official capacity.
Grief was accused by state lawmakers of defrauding lottery players in the April 2023 jackpot drawing by using lottery courier services, which allow people to buy lottery tickets online without visiting a store.
According to a Houston Chronicle investigation, a single company spent $26 million and employed various lottery courier services to purchase and print nearly every conceivable number combination, almost guaranteeing a jackpot win.
In April, a grand jury indicted Grief on the same charge, but the TCDA filed a motion to dismiss the case due to “prosecutorial discretion.”
Nexstar talked with District Attorney José Garza on Thursday morning, before the indictment was revealed. Garza stated that he was legally banned from discussing the issue but that he will speak more in depth in the following weeks.
Grief is scheduled to appear in Travis County’s 167th District Court on June 26 at 9:00 a.m., according to the court filings. The Texas Lottery Commission (TLC), which was disbanded by the Texas legislature last year due to the jackpot scandal, was also charged in Travis County. Grief, Ed Rogers, and Clay Kidd are named in the indictment, which says that the agency abused its official capacity. Roger died in 2024.
According to the indictment, the three “recklessly tolerated” abuses of authority while serving as commission supervisors.
Court filings show Courtney Arbour, the executive director of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), has been called to appear in the 167th District Court sometime in June, depending on when the summons is issued.
The TDLR issued a statement on Tuesday addressing litigation involving the former TLC.
The statement states, “The litigation concerns matters that predate the Texas Lottery’s transfer to the TDLR. ” Because the Texas Lottery Commission was abolished and its functions were transferred to TDLR, Executive Director Courtney Arbour was served with a summons in her official capacity as the agency’s leader now that it manages the Texas Lottery.”
“As this case is currently before the courts, TDLR will not comment more. We respect the court process, and TDLR continues to carry out its activities in accordance with its commitment to public safety, trust, and integrity.”
The TLC’s functions were transferred to the TDLR during the last session.
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