News writer
A Minnesota man thought he had the perfect getaway plan — stealing a motorcycle, crossing state lines, and swiping a stash of firearms. But his luck ran out when he left behind an unexpected clue: two unscratched lottery tickets.
Authorities say his scratch-off slip-up helped seal his fate. Now, instead of hitting the jackpot, he'll spend years behind bars.
Crime spree across state lines
On June 9, 2022, Steven Michael Current, 58, stole a 2004 Harley Davidson motorcycle from a home in Rochester, Minnesota. Then, on September 26, 2022, he drove that stolen motorcycle to rural Winneshiek County, Iowa, and broke into a home and took eight firearms.
Current, who admitted to having 15 prior felony convictions, said that during the burglary, he dropped two unscratched Minnesota Lottery instant tickets from his pocket.
An investigation began, and authorities said they were able to identify Current using images from a home camera system and images from the Minnesota store where he bought the lottery tickets.
Plea deal reached
On October 15, 2024, Current accepted a plea deal after pleading guilty to one count of possession of firearms as a felon and one count of interstate transportation of a stolen motor vehicle.
After the plea deal was accepted, Current was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams on February 24, 2025. He was sentenced to 87 months in prison. In addition, he was ordered to make $500 in restitution to the original owner of the motorcycle. He must also pay $6,031.31 in restitution to the insurance company that paid for the loss of the vehicle.
After the prison term is complete, Current must serve a three-year term of supervised release. The federal system doesn't have parole.
He is being held in the United States Marshal's custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
Big week of wins in Minnesota
While Current isn't winning any lottery jackpots anytime soon, other players in the state have had some luck this past week.
One lucky ticket purchased in Benson matched all five of the winning numbers in the February 26 North 5 drawing to win the $37,450 jackpot. The winning numbers for that draw were 6, 14, 25, 28, and 29.
The winning ticket was purchased at Benson Food Shop, located at 1331 Minnesota Ave. in Benson. For selling the winning ticket, the lottery retailer will receive a $375 bonus from the state lottery.
The state also saw two big winners on February 22, with one ticket winning $50,000 playing Powerball and another ticket winning $94,949 playing North 5.
For the Powerball winner, the lucky player matched four of the five winning white ball numbers plus the Powerball number. For that February 22 drawing, the winning white ball numbers were 7, 18, 22, 50, and 65, and the Powerball number was 15. The winning ticket was purchased at Speedway, located at 215 W. 33rd St. in Hastings.
Meanwhile, there was another North 5 jackpot winner on February 22, this time the lucky ticket matched all the winning numbers to win the $94,949 jackpot. The winning numbers for that drawing were 17, 18, 28, 30, and 33.
The winning ticket was purchased at Kwik Trip, located at 994 W. Lyon Ave. in Lake City. For selling the winning ticket, the lucky lottery retailer received a $949 bonus from the state lottery. Congrats to all the winners!
Enjoy playing the Minnesota Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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