News writer
It blows my mind that we are in 2024, and people still think they can get away with something like this!
Scratching, but not paying
A woman from Palestine, Texas, has been arrested after she allegedly stole lottery tickets while working at a convenience store in Lufkin in 2023.
On June 14, Cristina Lynn Mann, 38, was arrested and charged with one count of fraudulently claiming a Texas Lottery prize, according to KTRE.
According to an affidavit obtained by KTRE, the case began on January 24, 2023, when police responded to a call about a theft at Big's Gas Station, located at 3644 S US Highway 69 in Lufkin.
The supervisor of the store claimed she and several of her other employees had found a number of lottery tickets that were scratched, but had not been paid for.
Reviewing the footage
Authorities were able to obtain the security footage from the store, which reportedly showed Mann scratching the tickets and then scanning them in without paying, according to the affidavit.
According to court documents, Mann can be seen cashing out three tickets: one for $10, one for $20, and one for $100.
In addition to the lottery tickets, court records state Mann can be seen taking a variety of other items from the store.
Almost $1,000 in stolen tickets
Investigators determined there were even more tickets Mann had scratched and left in the dispensers in the store.
According to the affidavit, the store had an “Instant Ticket Sold Report,” and it showed the total amount for the fraudulent tickets for Mann to be about $985.
On June 14, 2024, police arrested Mann, and she was charged with fraudulently claiming a lottery prize, officials said. She was booked into the Angelina County Jail and was being held on a $1,000 bond.
Stealing from the lottery continues
The trend of stealing from the lottery continues. Recently, a former executive with the Mississippi Lottery Corporation was sentenced for embezzling money from the state lottery.
Officials said she was giving herself unauthorized raises, and eventually, she pleaded guilty to the embezzlement charges.
This also took place in 2023 and involved Hope Bishop, who was the Vice President of Human Resources at the time the crimes were committed. Bishop was arrested in November 2023.
The unauthorized raises were discovered by the staff after the Mississippi Lottery started working on improving lottery operations. Once the staff found it, they immediately reported it to the state auditor's office. When Bishop was arrested, officials served her with a demand for repayment, which was for $187,738.85.
In the end, Bishop pleaded guilty to the embezzlement charges, and she was sentenced to 20 years in state prison. However, the judge ordered 15 of those years to be suspended and five of them to be served while on house arrest. Once Bishop successfully completes that time, she will be placed on supervised probation for five years. In addition, she was ordered to pay fines, fees, and investigative costs.
Enjoy playing the lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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