Former Texas Lottery Commission, director face new indictments in Travis County

AUSTIN, Texas - The Travis County District Attorney's Office has announced new indictments against the former Texas Lottery Commission and its former executive director for abuse of official capacity.

The grand jury indictments were issued in April and are technically a refiling of a previous offense, according to the DA's office.

What was the former Texas Lottery Commission, executive director indicted for?

What they're saying:

The indictment accuses the former government entity, along with high-level management agents, Ed Rogers and Clay Kidd, acting within their official duties, of intentionally and knowingly misusing government resources, including property, services, personnel, or assets in their custody on April 22, 2023.

The misuse involved a Lotto Texas drawing that was valued at over $300,000 that day.

The DA's office says that the Texas Government Code required the Commission and Gary Grief, its executive director at the time, to "promote and ensure integrity, security, honesty, and fairness in the operation and administration of the lottery."

The DA's office's Public Integrity & Complex Crimes Division received the case from Texas DPS for review back in February of this year.

The backstory:

The case stems from an alleged scheme. 

State leaders said a group of professional gamblers, data-modeling strategists, and retail ticket sellers found a way to all but guarantee a win in the April 2023 Lotto Texas drawing. The group allegedly used a huge ticket-printing operation to buy nearly every possible number combination before the drawing, and it worked. On April 22, 2023, someone won $95 million.

Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has been one of the most vocal critics, especially when it comes to lottery courier apps, which allowed people to buy tickets online through third parties.

Grief resigned before the details were made public.

Dig deeper:

Since, multiple lawsuits have been filed. One woman has sued after claiming she won an $84 million jackpot through a courier app but never got paid. Another man who won the Lotto Texas jackpot right after the April 2023 big win said if the alleged ticket-buying scheme never happened, his prize would have been much bigger.

The Texas Lottery is now being overseen by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, courier services have been banned, and in 2027, Texas lawmakers could decide whether the lottery itself should even continue to exist.

What's next:

The next hearing date in this case is Oct. 16.

Former executive director previously indicted

Dig deeper:

Grief had been indicted before on the same charge of abuse of official capacity. That original charge was filed on April 16, 2026, but dropped the next day under prosecutorial discretion by an assistant district attorney.

The current charge was refiled ten days later. Travis County court records show that a pre-trial hearing in this case was set for today, Aug. 21.

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