Winner-Winner, Sex Offender

Mr. Poole has a pretty mengthy wrap sheet that inlcudes over a dozen arrests, two pen-trips, one for attempted sexual battery of a child under 12.

Like Texas, Florida maintains a comprehensive online database of these sex offenders, including photos and the ability to search by neighborhood, which is possibly how he was identified after winning the lotto.

However, no laws exist to prevent Poole or other sex offenders from either playing or receiving winnings from the lottery, but Poole may still lose his winnings in court.

Civil Suit for Child Sex Abuse

The two brothers suing Poole claim that he abused them in 1996, when they were 5 and 9 years old. The lawsuit is seeking compensation for pain, suffering, and mental anguish. Often, victims of child abuse from decades ago are prevented from suing their attackers by the statute of limitations.  However, there is no statute of limitations in Florida for victims of sexual battery younger than 16. The brothers allege that Poole abused them for more than a year in the late 1990s.

Poole told contends that he was wrongly accused, as part of a piece on where convicted sex offenders are employed.  This seems like awfully convenient timing for the filing of the suit.  I do not know the facts of the case, but I will say that the case was not pursued by the prosecutors office where this alleged crime took place.  We all know that if you are not a cop, then even if you are a ham sandwich a grand jury can indict you.  This is especially true of sex crimes, where mere accusations alone often support a criminal charge.