A Fort Dodge man accused of falsely cashing in on a $50,000 winning scratch-off Iowa Lottery ticket has pleaded not guilty in Webster County District Court.

Skyler Sturgis Hay, 29, of Fort Dodge, filed a written plea of not guilty to a charge of lottery fraud, a Class D felony.

According to court documents, in September 2018, Hay traveled along with Nicholas Martin Hanson, 41, of Fort Dodge, to the Iowa Lottery Headquarters in Clive to redeem a winning scratch-off ticket for $50,000. The ticket belonged to Hanson, who was in debt to “numerous entities,” including Child Support Recovery, back taxes to the state of Iowa, college student loans and to other debt collection agencies.

Hay, according to the court documents, was enlisted to assist Hanson in claiming the winning lottery ticket in order to circumvent paying Hanson’s existing debts.

Hay claimed the winning ticket on Sept. 12, 2018, and was charged with lottery fraud in February 2021.

The jury trial for Hay is scheduled to start June 29 at the Webster County Courthouse.

Hanson is charged with ongoing criminal conduct, a Class B felony.

According to court documents, Hanson had tried to enlist several other individuals in his lottery scheme before Hay agreed to help him.

After Hay collected the prize winnings from the Iowa Lottery on his behalf, Hanson spent “the majority of the proceeds” on items for himself, including a new 65″ Phillips Smart TV, airfare and hotel rooms for a trip to Las Vegas, tickets to a Minnesota Vikings game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, signed football jerseys, illegal narcotics such as marijuana and more.

Hanson was charged with ongoing criminal conduct in January 2020.

Hanson’s jury trial is scheduled to start April 6 at the Webster County Courthouse.