AUSTIN, Texas -- A man who says he bought what turned out to be a $1 million Texas lottery ticket but was scammed by a clerk wants to depose some lottery executives. Attorneys for Willis Willis have asked a judge in Austin to allow the depositions in what could lead to a lawsuit against the Texas Lottery Commission. The state in general has immunity from such lawsuits. Lottery authorities declined comment Tuesday. Willis says a convenience store clerk in Grand Prairie told him that the ticket that he bought on May 29 was worth just $2. Authorities believe Pankaj Joshi, who was indicted in September on a charge of claiming a lottery prize by fraud, fled to Nepal after about $750,000 of the prize was transferred to him. Prosecutors have recovered about $365,000 from U.S. banks.
