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Tuan Tquan, who also goes by Tommy Tran, pleaded guilty to illegal gratuity to a public employee in a Dorchester court this week, the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office said. The 59-year-old owns the Smoke Shop and More at 218 Adams Street.
State authorities said Tquan offered a state official $500 if they would pay him $5,600 in lottery winnings that the state had rejected.
Tquan's son brought five winning tickets to the lottery office in 2020 that he said he bought. But during an investigation, state officials determined that Tquan had purchased the tickets for his son as a wedding present. State rules say you must buy the ticket to claim any winnings, the attorney general's office said in a news release.
After the state denied the man's winnings, Tquan offered a lottery employee $500 to release the $5,600 in winnings, according to the attorney general's release. That person alerted authorities about the reported bribe, and police set up a sting where Tquan handed over the money and received fake prize winnings in return. Massachusetts State police arrested him soon after.
Tquan lost his $500 as well as the ability to sell lottery tickets at his store.
Things got worse after that for Tquan.
During a search of Smoke Shop and More, state police say they found six illegal gaming machines. Authorities charged the store owner with keeping a common gaming house and unlawful operation of gaming devices.
He pleaded not guilty, and that case is still pending, the attorney general's office said.
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