Updated

Federal prosecutors have filed criminal charges against a Detroit man accused of running an illegal lottery. His lawyer says there's a problem: Herbert Daniels Sr. is dead.

Daniels and wife Willie Mae Truvillion were named in a criminal complaint that had been sealed since March 31. It was unsealed Wednesday.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office says it just learned about Daniels' recent death and will drop the case against him when it gets official notification.

The couple in their 70s are accused of taking bets on legitimate lottery numbers. An informant told the FBI the business has run for decades.

Defense lawyer Cyril Hall said Daniels died a month ago and his widow is "gravely ill." A son is also charged. Hall says they deny the allegations.