All news

Slice of crime: Pennsylvania pizza shop employee accused of stealing $100K in lottery tickets

She wanted a piece of the pie!

Falbo's Pizza in South Greensburg.
Falbo's Pizza in South Greensburg, where an employee is accused of stealing over $100K in lottery tickets. Photograph credit to Google Maps.
Todd Betzold

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.

Comments

0
Loading comments

Related articles

The Huron County building where the 52nd Judicial Circuit Court operates is where Ruben Whimper entered his guilty plea.
Man pleads guilty to using stolen credit cards to buy $7K in lottery tickets

From Bad Axe to Battle Creek, this lottery scam stretched far, but justice caught up fast.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

A New Jersey Lottery sign promoting CASH POP.
Local games thrive as Mega Millions and Powerball sales fall

Despite $3.3B in sales, the New Jersey Lottery faces a player revolt against impossible jackpots. Is this the future?

Samantha Herscher profile pic

Samantha Herscher

A police car with their flashing lights.
Knife pulled in lottery fight over winning ticket

Police say the lottery ticket wasn't the only thing these men had on them. What else turned up during the arrest?

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

Recent articles

View All
Weis Markets in Spring Township.
Big win in the Keystone State: Cash 5 player scores $400,000

Unknown winner hits the big one in Pennsylvania's oldest jackpot game.

Halley Bondy profile pic

Halley Bondy

The Huron County building where the 52nd Judicial Circuit Court operates is where Ruben Whimper entered his guilty plea.
Man pleads guilty to using stolen credit cards to buy $7K in lottery tickets

From Bad Axe to Battle Creek, this lottery scam stretched far, but justice caught up fast.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

A New Jersey Lottery sign promoting CASH POP.
Local games thrive as Mega Millions and Powerball sales fall

Despite $3.3B in sales, the New Jersey Lottery faces a player revolt against impossible jackpots. Is this the future?

Samantha Herscher profile pic

Samantha Herscher

The $792,900 winning Michigan Fantasy 5 ticket.
Michigan woman on July 4 camping trip wins jackpot

The winner checked her ticket while camping to find a $792,900 surprise.

Halley Bondy profile pic

Halley Bondy