Isaacs, who declined to comment for this article, confirmed that he loses tonight. But he will still walk away with a hefty chunk of change.
Isaacs first appeared on the game show in August 2009, the same month he was sentenced in Miami County Common Pleas Court to three years probation and 300 hours of community service. He faced as many as 10 years in prison for using the college’s payroll system to file fraudulent federal withholding so he would receive a larger income tax return, according to a police report.
Isaacs won $6,500 on the August 2009 show, according to the Ohio Lottery. Either he or his wife, Sue Isaacs, more recently purchased another winning $1 scratch ticket at Ray’s Drive Thru, 5229 Taylorsville Road, and were selected for the game show.
Emboldened by his success, Isaacs told the show’s hosts during the Oct. 16 episode that, “We’re going to go ahead and make our reservations for next year.”
The chances of appearing on the show three times is slim, but few people have won more than one appearance, said Marie Kilbane, spokeswoman for the Ohio Lottery.
The revelation that Isaacs struck it big playing the lottery shocked prosecutors who helped build the case against him.
“Wow. I am just speechless,” Miami County Prosecutor Gary Nasal said. “It hardly seems fair.”
Isaacs, who was hired by Edison Community College in 1999, falsified personal tax withholding amounts between 2002 and 2009.
After Isaacs was reassigned to another position with the college in August 2008 because of his job performance, the accountant who replaced him discovered discrepancies in the tax records.
College officials contacted the Ohio Highway Patrol, which launched an investigation and discovered Isaacs had filed $13,000 in fraudulent withholdings.
Isaacs was originally charged with 22 felonies, including filing incomplete, false and fraudulent tax returns. Most of the charges were dismissed when he agreed to plead no contest to single felony counts of tampering with records and theft in office.
In addition to probation and community service, he was ordered to pay $13,000 in restitution to the college, and his state pension was seized to satisfy the payments, Nasal said.
Nasal said he believes Isaacs has paid restitution, meaning his lottery earnings are all profit.
Isaacs and his wife told a lottery staff member they plan to use the money to go on a small vacation.
But they told Lottery officials their winnings are just a bonus, because they enjoy the entire Cash Explosion experience, Kilbane said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-0749 or cfrolik@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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