BOSTON -- A man listed as one of the state's most dangerous sex offenders has won $10 million in the state lottery, and his newfound notoriety may have landed him in trouble with authorities.
Daniel Snay, 56, of Uxbridge, had been living and working in Massachusetts since 2004. In January, he paid $20 for a "Billion Dollar Blockbuster" scratch ticket at a Hopedale convenience store and hit the jackpot.
When a publicity photograph of Snay picking up his first of 20 annual checks for $500,000 Jan. 30 was posted on the Lottery's Web site, residents called the Massachusetts Lottery Commission about his background.
Lottery officials say he gambled legally, but Snay's story caught the attention of police in neighboring Connecticut, where Snay had lived for several years and allegedly had not alerted authorities that he was moving out of state, as required by law.
Connecticut Trooper William Tate said Snay could face up to five years in prison if convicted of failing to notify authorities of his change of address, a felony in that state. Snay hasn't confirmed his address for the Connecticut registry since May 2004, even though that state requires address verification every 90 days, Tate said.
"We're trying to determine when he moved, why he didn't register with us and whether any charges are warranted," Tate said.
Snay first registered on the Connecticut sex offender list on Feb. 28, 2002. The last address he gave was a multifamily home in the Moosup section of Plainfield.
Snay's lawyer, Joseph Fabbricotti, said when Snay moved from Connecticut, he believed he had to register only in the state he was moving to, Massachusetts.
"If that is incorrect, we'll have to fix it," Fabbricotti said. "He wasn't running. He's been living here (in Massachusetts) for four years."
Snay, a divorced father of five, was convicted several times of indecent assault and battery from 1974 to 1987. Two of the assaults were on a child under the age of 14. He is classified in Massachusetts as a Level 3 offender, those deemed most dangerous or most likely to re-offend.
Uxbridge Police Chief Scott Freitas said Snay's lottery winnings have caused some "conversations" in town, but not an uproar.
"In this particular case, he isn't forbidden from gambling," Freitas said. "He played the ticket and he won."
Snay works as a truck driver for Certified Sales Inc., a boat dealership in Mendon. A message left for him there wasn't immediately returned Monday.
Brian Bethel, one of the company's owners, said Snay has been dedicated and hardworking since being employed there on and off for 40 years. Bethel said he thinks it's unfair that some people are questioning Snay's right to the lottery money.
"This is a ticket that is sold to the public, and as a working citizen in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, he can purchase the ticket," Bethel said.
"He has paid the piper for what he has done. He's gone over 20 years now (without a conviction)," he said.
Bethel said Snay plans to use the money to pay for his children's education.
"He could have taken the money and left, but he's still working," Bethel said. "He hasn't changed his habits. He works every day."
Officials at the Massachusetts Lottery Commission did not know Snay's background until they were contacted by Uxbridge residents.
"The vast majority of our players are regular, law abiding, hardworking individuals," spokesman Dan Rosenfeld said. "We regret any difficulty this may have caused."
This is the second time in recent months that a convicted felon has won the lottery in Massachusetts. Last month, a Barnstable Superior Court judge approved an agreement to allow convicted bank robber Timothy Elliott to keep a $1 million lottery prize even though he was prohibited from gambling under the terms of his probation.
(Copyright (c) 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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