Arrayit Corporation (ARYC)

[Antbird]

But Rhodes is tight with Sonfield. And the pair have been earned a questionable rep in Houston. One source—who is both involved in litigation with the pair and asked to remain anonymous—told The Daily Beast that the two have worked in “pump-and-dump” penny stock schemes, driving up the price and selling it off quickly.

Rhodes and Sonfield are in multiple business arrangements with Philip Johnston, the Canadian lawyer who called in sick to claim the lottery ticket, according to the Division of Criminal Investigation records. For example, Sonfield has 20,000 shares and Shaw 2,000 shares in a company called Platinum Energy. Its president: Johnston.

Johnston and Sonfield are prominently named in stock portfolio documents associated with a company known as Arrayit. Rhodes was briefly CEO of the company’s pharmaceutical subsidiary, but was quickly voted out by shareholders.