Rhodes said he rented a car, drove to Wisconsin and purchased tickets from various stores around southwest Wisconsin. He said after driving back to Iowa, he flew home to Texas.

Rhodes told the investigator that Tipton explained how a file he created in the computers could be activated at will.

He said Tipton wanted him to play again in December 2010. Rhodes said he did but had second thoughts and feared being caught, so he only played some of the numbers Tipton gave him. He later realized that one of the numbers he didn’t play would have won another Megabucks jackpot.

He said in early 2011, Tipton visited him in Texas and showed him an Iowa Hot Lotto ticket that had hit the $16.5 million jackpot. Tipton told him he was thinking of having his brother, Tommy Tipton, cash it for him but he was concerned that Tommy had already won a 2005 Colorado jackpot. Although Rhodes attempted to get the ticket cashed through people he knew, he wasn’t successful because Iowa Lottery officials grew suspicious.

Tipton, 53, plans to voluntarily appear to face the charges in mid-February “and looks forward to defending himself in court,” said his attorney, Dean Stowers.

Rhodes’ attorney did not immediately return a call seeking comment.