The Travis County District Attorney’s Office said the grand jury indictment was issued in April and involves abuse of official capacity. The case is essentially a refiling of an earlier charge against Grief.
What is Grief accused of?
The indictment alleges that Grief, along with former lottery officials Ed Rogers and Clay Kidd, knowingly misused government resources while acting in their official roles on April 22, 2023.
The alleged misuse involved a Lotto Texas drawing worth more than $300,000.
According to the DA’s office, Texas law required the lottery commission and its executive director to protect the lottery’s integrity, security, honesty and fairness.
The case was sent to the DA’s Public Integrity & Complex Crimes Division by the Texas Department of Public Safety in February for review.
The controversy behind the case
The investigation goes back to the April 2023 Lotto Texas drawing, which attracted major attention after an alleged ticket-buying strategy appeared to give a group of professional gamblers and ticket sellers an overwhelming advantage.
State officials said the group allegedly used sophisticated data modeling and a massive ticket-printing operation to purchase nearly every possible number combination.
The strategy reportedly paid off.
A $95 million jackpot was won on April 22, 2023.
The controversy also fueled criticism of lottery courier services, which allowed customers to purchase tickets through third-party platforms. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick became one of the most vocal critics of the system.
Grief resigned before the full details of the controversy became public.
Legal fallout continues
The Lotto Texas controversy has led to several lawsuits.
- One woman claimed she won an $84 million jackpot through a lottery courier app but was never paid.
- Another Lotto Texas jackpot winner said his prize could have been significantly larger if the alleged ticket-buying operation had never occurred.
Since then, Texas has banned lottery courier services, and the Texas Lottery is now being overseen by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
Lawmakers could also decide in 2027 whether Texas should continue operating its state lottery.
Grief was previously indicted
This isn't Grief's first indictment on the same abuse-of-official-capacity charge.
The original charge was filed on April 16, 2026, but it was dismissed the following day at the discretion of an assistant district attorney. The charge was then refiled 10 days later.
Travis County court records show that a pretrial hearing was scheduled for August 21. The next hearing in the case is set for October 16.
The case remains ongoing, and the allegations have not been proven in court.
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