News writer
It looks like an employee at a pizza shop in Pennsylvania wanted more than just a slice of the pie — she wanted the whole jackpot!
The "cheesy" scheme
Now that same woman is in trouble after she allegedly traded pepperonis for $100,000 worth of lottery tickets at a South Greensburg pizzeria where she works. There was no delivery here, as she was just cashing in on her own “cheesy” scheme.
In December 2023, the owner of Falbo's Pizza reported to Westmoreland County detectives that their weekly audits of a Pennsylvania Lottery machine in the store regularly found that the money collected for instant game tickets sold was lower than it should have been, according to court documents obtained by TribLive.
Court papers say lottery officials were investigating the situation and suggested an employee may be responsible.
An employee was responsible
Kimberly Morris, 59, was employed at Falbo's Pizza, and she oversaw the lottery machine between 2018 and 2020. She typically worked 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., so she was usually unsupervised in the building for much of her shift, authorities said.
After lottery officials made a visit to the store, Morris reportedly admitted to the owner that she had been stealing the tickets. When talking with lottery officials, Morris said the administrative duties of her job gave her access to the lottery tickets without having to pay for them.
Authorities reviewed the owner's bank records, which showed they deposited $102,000 to account for the loss of ticket sales, police said. However, Morris never tried to pay any of that money back to the owner.
On August 19, 2024, Morris was arrested and charged with theft and receiving stolen property, officials said. She was released on her own recognizance.
She is scheduled for her preliminary hearing on August 28.
It's a dough-licious win for this lucky player!
While Morris was trying to steal her way to a big win in the Pennsylvania Lottery, another lucky player was doing it the right way and walking away with a $1 million win!
A lucky lottery retailer in Butler County recently sold a $1 million-winning All Cash scratch-off. The retailer was Quick Stop, located at 408 South Main Street in Butler. For selling the winning ticket, they will receive a $5,000 bonus from the state lottery.
All Cash happens to be a $20 scratch-off game from the Pennsylvania Lottery, which offers a top prize of $1 million. Lottery officials said scratch-off prizes expire one year from the game's end-sale date, which is posted on the state lottery's website.
If you happen to be holding onto the winning ticket, lottery officials urge you to immediately sign the back of the ticket and call the Lottery at 1-800-692-7481.
As a reminder, all scratch-offs are distributed at random, which means the Pennsylvania Lottery and all lottery retailers have no clue where the winning tickets will be sold. The state lottery only learns where winning tickets are sold after the prize has been claimed.
Enjoy playing the Pennsylvania Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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