Georgia man uses $3M lottery prize to fund meth ring; faces life in prison

WARE COUNTY, Ga. -- A Georgia man faces the possibility of life in prison after he pleaded guilty to using his lottery winnings to help fund a crystal methamphetamine drug ring.

In 2015, 45-year-old Ronnie Music Jr. won $3 million in a Georgia scratch-off lottery game.

Officials with the Department of Justice said Music conspired to possess and distribute kilograms of meth throughout Ware County, Georgia.

"Defendant Music decided to test his luck by sinking millions of dollars of lottery winnings into the purchase and sale of crystal meth," U.S. Attorney Ed Tarver said. "As a result of his unsound investment strategy, Music now faces decades in a federal prison."

Investigators seized over $1 million worth of methamphetamine, firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition, multiple vehicles and over $600,000 in cash.