Pasco man finally gets lotto winnings after contacting Better Call Behnken
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Bob Calamita finally has the $1,000 he won in the lottery in March. He has been fighting for the money after he was told it was withheld because of overpaid unemployment benefits he says he never owed.
After calls from Better Call Behnken, the state took another look and then sent him a check for the full amount.
“The day after, my phone blew up,” Calamita said. “I had about three phone calls from three supervisors.”
Calamita said when he went to the lotto office in March, he was given a letter about the debt. He said he was later informed he owed $3,000 for an unemployment overpayment during the pandemic.
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Then he said he was told it was computer-generated error that he and hundreds of others have received. He said he was told it’s a fraud-fighting measure that backfired, and he owes nothing and will get his winnings after all.
He said he was told he is among hundreds who were told the same thing after winning money in the lottery. For many, the issue is tied to unemployment compensation they collected during the pandemic.
After calls from Consumer Investigator Shannon Behnken, Calamita said he was provided a letter that shows he doesn’t owe anything after all.
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