Texas man pleads guilty to fraud in lottery scandal case

DES MOINES, Iowa — A Texas businessman has pleaded guilty to fraud and admitted to helping lottery computer technician Eddie Tipton cash jackpots in a multi-state number-fixing scheme that netted $2 million.

Robert Rhodes pleaded guilty in a Des Moines courtroom Monday. Iowa prosecutors will seek two years of probation.

Rhodes says he helped Tipton try to cash a $16.5 million 2010 Iowa Hot Lotto ticket but suspicious officials never paid.

Rhodes agreed to testify against Tipton and his brother, Tommy Tipton. They’re charged in Iowa for tinkering with computers to make lottery numbers predictable in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Wisconsin games. They deny the charges.