Michigan woman faces three lottery fraud charges in South Carolina

A Michigan woman is facing three lottery fraud charges in South Carolina after investigators accused her of passing stolen scratch-off tickets at multiple locations in the state. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) announced that 23-year-old Keaysha Sincere Warren was charged with three counts of Intent to Defraud, Counterfeit Game Tickets.

One charge was filed in Calhoun County, South Carolina, while the other two were filed in Richland County. All three charges stem from alleged incidents that took place on June 22, 2025.

Multiple stores involved

This wasn’t a one-time incident, but one that involved multiple locations and counties.

Arrest warrants state Warren was involved in passing stolen lottery tickets at a Pilot Travel Center on Burke Road in Saint Matthews, South Carolina. According to authorities, those tickets were previously stolen by Warren and two co-defendants from a Hot Spot convenience store on U.S. 395 in Orangeburg County.

Investigators state they have more than just witness accounts to support their allegations. According to the warrant, both the theft of the lottery tickets and the scanning of the tickets were caught on video.

Warren is also facing two charges stemming from alleged incidents in neighboring Richland County on the same day. She is accused of passing multiple stolen scratch-off tickets at two locations on Garners Ferry Road.

Officials said these tickets also originated from the Hot Spot in Orangeburg County and were previously stolen by Warren and two co-defendants. Like the Calhoun County allegations, police say the theft and scanning of the stolen tickets connected to the Richland County charges were also captured on video.

The warrants didn’t specify the total value of the tickets allegedly stolen or how much money, if any, was obtained by passing the stolen tickets.

Warren was previously named in multi-state lottery investigation

For Lottery USA readers, Warren’s name may be familiar.

In August 2025, we reported that Warren was one of three Michigan suspects identified by police in North Carolina in connection with an alleged lottery ticket and prepaid gift card scheme that authorities said stretched across at least 10 states over two years.

At the time, police identified Warren along with Darious Welch and Jalen Coleman, all from Flint, Michigan.

According to authorities, the suspects would use non-functioning gift cards to obtain activated Visa gift cards and lottery tickets from businesses. In some of the cases, the suspects allegedly left the store with over $5,000 in merchandise.

This investigation gained momentum after incidents at stores in North Carolina on June 20 and June 21, 2025, which is just one day before the alleged South Carolina incidents now connected to Warren.

In August 2025, police said she was wanted on active warrants in that investigation. These charges in South Carolina are separate allegations and do not establish Warren’s guilt in either case.

Warren booked into two detention centers

After authorities tracked down Warren and arrested her, she was booked into the Orangeburg-Calhoun Regional Detention Center in Orangeburg County. Then, she was later taken to Richland County and booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.

The South Carolina Education Lottery requested the SLED investigation. The cases will be prosecuted by the 1st and 5th Circuit Solicitor's Offices.

Enjoy playing the South Carolina Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.