Georgia
Georgia brothers sentenced for Georgia Lottery fraud scheme
COLUMBIA COUNTY, Ga. – Two Georgia brothers have been sentenced after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said they defrauded the Georgia Lottery more than a dozen times over a years-long period.
Brothers accused of lottery fraud
What we know:
Quinton Watts, 27, and Phillip Watts, 31, both of Sparta, were sentenced Thursday after being arrested for defrauding the lottery.
The GBI began investigating the men in August 2024 at the request of the Georgia Lottery Commission. Agents said the brothers stole money from video poker-style machines—commonly known as Coin Operated Amusement Machines (COAM)—across more than 12 counties between June 2021 and September 2024.
The two were charged with multiple felony charges, including racketeering, lottery ticket fraud, theft by taking, and possession of tools for the commission of a crime.
Lottery fraud sentencing
What’s next:
Columbia County Superior Court Judge Barry A. Fleming sentenced Quinton Watts to 20 years in prison, followed by 45 years of probation. Phillip Watts was sentenced to 20 years in prison, followed by 35 years of probation. Both men were ordered to pay $86,000 in restitution to the Georgia Lottery Commission. Judge Fleming also banned both men from Columbia County, prohibited them from entering any stores involved in the case, and barred them from playing COAMs.
What are COAMs?
Dig deeper:
COAMs are arcade-style machines regulated by the Georgia Lottery and are typically found inside gas stations and convenience stores. The machines award points that can be exchanged for in-store items, gas credits, or Georgia Lottery tickets. The machines are legal as long as they are properly licensed. Under Georgia law, customers may only redeem credits for specific non-cash rewards.
The Source: Information in this article came from a release posted on the GBI’s website.
Baseball
June 1, 2026
Oklahoma WALKS OFF No. 2 overall seed Georgia Tech to win regional | Full 10th inning
June 1, 2026
Oklahoma baseball knocked out No. 2 overall national seed Georgia Tech to clinch a spot in super regionals, thanks to a towering walk-off home run to dead center in the bottom of the 10th inning from Dayton Tockey. Watch the full extra-inning finish here.
A Griffin, Georgia man is now under arrest, charged in connection with a cold case homicide investigation in New Jersey, prosecutors say.
It’s been nearly 37 years since 42-year-old Mauricio Cuadra was shot during an apparent home invasion; now, authorities say 62-year-old Joseph Quiros-Soto is charged with his murder.
Officials say on Aug. 9, 1989, the officers with the Bayonne Police Department responded to reports of a home invasion and shooting at an apartment on the 400 block of Avenue C. Inside the home, they found Cuadra suffering from a gunshot wound. Cuadra died shortly after.
The case remained a mystery until 2024, when Quiros-Soto confessed to the murder to police in Locust Grove, Georgia, saying that he had become a born-again Christian, NJ.com reports.
Police told the outlet that he gave the detectives details of the crime and allowed visiting Hudson County authorities to take a DNA sample, which matched a stain on the victim.
Authorities were eventually able to obtain a warrant for the Georgia man’s arrest. On May 27, 2026, deputies with the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office arrested Quiros-Soto at his home in Griffin, charging him with murder and murder during the commission of a burglary.
Quiros-Soto is being detained in Georgia, awaiting extradition to New Jersey.
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State baseball has made the super regionals in the NCAA Tournament and will face a team its already played four times.
The No. 14 national seed Bulldogs (43-17) are matched up with No. 3 Georgia (49-12). The best-of-three series will take place in Athens, Georgia, because Georgia is the higher seed.
The super regionals run from June 5-8, and the winner will make the College World Series.
MSU is 0-4 against Georgia this season, getting swept at Dudy Noble Field and then losing a fourth time in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. Georgia won the SEC regular season and tournament championships.
Both teams made it through their regionals without a loss. Mississippi State blew out Louisiana 19-5 on May 31, while Georgia defeated Liberty.
MSU has played Georgia only once in postseason history, losing in the 1990 College World Series.
Mississippi State baseball history in super regionals
Mississippi State has played in 10 super regionals and won five of them. It has won three straight super regionals. MSU is 2-4 as the visiting team in super regionals.
New Mississippi State coach Brian O’Connor is 7-2 in super regionals.
NCAA baseball tournament schedule
- Super regionals: June 5-8
- College World Series: June 12-22
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
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