Convicted lottery fraudster Eddie Tipton has been sentenced to 25 years in prison just as America braces for the second-highest jackpot in Powerball history.

In June, Tipton reached a deal with Iowa prosecutors to plead guilty to a single count of ongoing criminal conduct related to his role in a conspiracy to rig Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) drawings. At the time, prosecutors announced they would seek the maximum punishment available.

On Tuesday, District Court Judge Brad McCall sided with those prosecutors, sentencing Tipton to the maximum 25 years in prison, although Tipton will be eligible for parole in as little as three years’ time. A Wisconsin judge previously sentenced Tipton to five-and-a-half years after he pled guilty to theft, fraud and computer crime, but McCall will be allowed to serve both sentences concurrently.

Tipton and his co-scammers – brother Eddie Tipton and mutual friend Robert Rhodes – claimed seven fraudulent lottery jackpots in five different states over a number of years before their scam spectacularly unraveled in 2011 when they made a ham-fisted attempt to anonymously claim their largest prize, a $16.5m Iowa Lottery Hot Lotto jackpot.