Rhynell T. Folds, 21, was sentenced Thursday for buying $1,000 of lottery tickets in Nebraska using stolen credit cards. He was given 4-½ years of prison time by a Madison County judge.

The crime

According to MSN, on October 6, 2024, two men—including Folds—entered a Speedee Mart in Norfolk, Nebraska, at 9 p.m. One of the men produced a spreadsheet filled with credit card numbers and asked the clerk to input the card numbers manually to make purchases. They went through several cards before one of them actually worked. The men used it to purchase $990 in Nebraska Lottery tickets before they left.

Suspicious, the store manager reviewed footage of the men and their car, and warned others on Facebook about the incident. Because of this foresight, staff at a gas station in Newman Grove, Nebraska, refused to sell the men $400 in additional lottery tickets the next day.

Caught on the road

Later, police stopped the men's car near a highway due to a marijuana smell. Three people in the car were arrested, including Folds, 22-year-old Keith Johnson, and another man. Two of them were carrying $1,500 cash. Their license plate indicated that the car was a rental from Ohio.

The men were in possession of a small bag of marijuana and 21 bottles of tequila.

Folds was charged with conspiracy to commit a class-four felony and criminal possession of a financial transaction device. Johnson was charged with conspiracy. Bonds were set at 10% of $50,000.

Plea

In May this year, Folds pleaded guilty to possession of financial transaction devices with intent to defraud, a felony, and reduced charges of theft by deception and attempted failure to appear, which are both misdemeanors, according to the Norfolk Daily News. With this plea, he could have faced up to 22 years in prison.

The term “financial transaction devices” in a legal context often refers to stolen credit cards.

Sentence

Ultimately, this week, Folds was given 4-½ years, with 226 days for time served at Madison County Jail.

Was it a good scheme?

Based on the available information about these crimes: no. Even if the men were slick about the stolen credit cards, which they didn't appear to be, buying up about $1,000 of tickets is not even close to a guaranteed win in most major lotteries.

Buying $1,000 of tickets in most major lotteries will barely produce winnings. The gentleman might have been better off spending the stolen money on something else.