From the Associated Press — A suburban Detroit man has been charged with cheating investors out of $19 million to fuel his lottery habit. Prosecutors say Viktor Gjonaj was buying as much as $1 million in Daily 3 and Daily 4 Michigan lottery tickets every week. Gjonaj is accused of using his experience as a real estate broker to persuade people to give him money for what he touted as lucrative property deals. Defense attorney Steve Fishman says Gjonaj was a businessman who developed a gambling addiction. The fraud charge was filed as a criminal information in federal court, which typically signals that a guilty plea is expected.
