Carrie and Riah Kuenzi Credit: Photo by Jana Birchum

Six months after Carrie and Zachariah (Riah) Kuenzi learned that they’d been charged with defrauding the Texas Lot­tery Commission, the couple on July 9 entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with Travis County, which – provided they don’t run into any trouble for a year – means the cases against them will be completely wiped from their records. According to the TLC, the couple tried to defraud the state of $100, allegedly by trying to cash in a winning BonusWord Crossword scratch-off a second time, after they’d already collected the winnings. The couple vehemently denies the charges but agreed to the deal; Carrie was loath to agree to any plea and had said she’d prefer to take it to trial, but this deal – which seems, on balance, a way for the state and Travis County Attorney’s Office to save face – means she won’t have to say she was guilty of something she denies doing. For more on the story, see “The Great $100 Lottery Scam,” June 8.

This article appears in July 13 • 2012.

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