Florida cashier stole elderly man’s winning lottery ticket, deputies say
A cashier in Florida was arrested after she allegedly stole a man's winning lottery ticket. (Source: Florida Lottery)
A Florida woman landed behind bars after allegedly pocketing a winning lottery ticket that belonged to an elderly man who hit it big after playing the same numbers every day.
Big picture view:
The suspect was booked into the Volusia County (Florida) jail on Monday on a single count of grand theft. A surveillance camera at the Walmart gas station where she worked as a cashier had recorded her hanging onto the ticket after helping the lottery winner, and she still had it with her when she was questioned by a deputy.
Timeline:
The arresting deputy explained that the victim went into the Walmart gas station on Sunday, June 15, to check his tickets, noting that he plays the same numbers every day. On that day, one of his regular plays won $2,700, which is more than the store is allowed to redeem.
The victim reported that the cashier said he would need to go elsewhere to claim his winnings and provided him with a receipt with directions, but not the winning ticket. After he returned and discovered the ticket was gone, the store manager pulled out the surveillance video, and it showed the suspect putting the ticket in her vest pocket after the man had left, the criminal complaint stated. The suspect had left for the day before law enforcement got there.
The other side:
A deputy spoke to the suspect at her work the next day, and she claimed that another customer had come to her counter right after the victim left, so she put the ticket in her pocket to wait on the new customer, according to the complaint. She is reported to have told deputies that she did not know why she kept the ticket and did not mean to deprive the victim of his thousands of dollars in winnings.
During the interview, the woman walked deputies to her vehicle where she still had the ticket, and the store’s management confirmed that it was the winning one.
Dig deeper:
The Florida Lottery website explains that retail locations can only redeem prizes of $599 or less, while those between $600 and $1,000,000, like the victim’s, must be taken to a district office. Those lucky enough to win more than a million dollars or a game that requires an annual payment must go to the Florida Lottery headquarters. There are also mail-in options for prizes of $250,000 or less.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Lottery. This story was reported from Orlando.