Police name three suspects in wild multi-state lottery ticket heist

They thought they were clever, but the game finally caught up with them. A trio from Michigan has been linked to a sprawling multi-state lottery and gift card scam that stretched across at least ten states over the past two years.

Using fake or non-functioning gift cards, the suspects reportedly tricked store clerks into activating thousands of dollars in merchandise and lottery tickets — sometimes walking away with more than $5,000 at a time. After months of mysterious thefts and careful investigation, police are finally revealing the identities of the three suspects behind the scheme.

Suspects have been named

A multi-state lottery and gift card fraud scheme has been taking place in at least 10 states over two years. Now, police in North Carolina have discovered and named a trio of suspects.

According to police in Warsaw, there have been a series of thefts involving prepaid Visa gift cards and lottery tickets over the past several months. These thefts included the criminals using deceptive payment tactics to obtain thousands of dollars in goods and winnings.

How the fraud scheme worked

Police said the trio would present non-functioning Cash App or YouTube gift cards at local businesses. The employees would then inadvertently activate the cards. The stores would not know this was happening. Then the suspects would escape.

The suspects were fraudulently acquiring North Carolina Lottery tickets and Visa gift cards. In several cases, they would make out with over $5,000 in merchandise. After fleeing the store, the suspects were seen getting in a white Volkswagen SUV with Florida license plates.

Tracking down the suspects

On June 20th and 21st, the suspects targeted numerous stores in Onslow and Duplin counties, including a Sheetz and Best Mart in Warsaw, Lottery USA previously reported.

Authorities said the suspects were very good at avoiding surveillance cameras, even parking in certain spots to avoid them. However, police were able to obtain surveillance footage, and investigators were able to track down their getaway vehicle to a rental car. Using that information, they were able to identify the three suspects.

Police said these three suspects, and others, have been doing this fraud scheme for at least two years in at least ten different states. The three suspects, who are from Flint, Michigan, are:

• Darious Welch, 20 – He was arrested in Illinois and is now back in Duplin County. Welch has been charged in Warsaw, Beulaville, Clinton, Jacksonville, and in Onslow County.
• Jalen Coleman, 19 – He is currently being held in Michigan for similar charges. Authorities said they have outstanding warrants for him.
• Keaysha Warren, 20 – She is currently wanted for active warrants in this case.

Since this scheme involved multiple states and cities, it was a joint effort to identify the suspects. In addition to the Warsaw police, the Beulaville Police Department, Clinton Police Department, Jacksonville Police Department, North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and Onslow County Sheriff's Office have all been involved with the investigation.

Enjoy playing the lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.