Stolen Winning Lottery Tickets: For Greed All Nature Is Too Little
Middle Eastern Shop Owners Steal Winning Lottery Tickets
It would appear that there is a growing epidemic of dishonest shop owners who steal lottery winnings from their patrons in the United States. Within the past few years, there have been a growing number of cases where patrons have reported shady dealings to the authorities when it comes time to cash in their lottery tickets. There is a commonality in these cases. The majority of the shop owners guilty of this scam is a Middle Eastern descent.
The Stories
In November 2013, a 34-year-old man in Hempstead, New York went into a convenience store and handed over a winning lottery ticket. The son of the shop owner scanned the man’s ticket and the message “File claim: jackpot winner – please return original ticket to the customer along with a claim receipt,” appeared. This meant that the man had won a million dollars!
Is The Lotter legit? Who can register?
Instead of giving the man the ticket and a claim receipt, he told the gentleman he only won $1,000, which he paid out in cash. The man left the store, oblivious to what happened. The next day rolls around, and he becomes suspicious. So he goes back to the store and confronts the clerk.
Supposedly, the clerk told him he would pay the man $10,000 as long as he didn’t involve the police. Not only did the son lie, but the store’s owner (the clerk’s father) insisted that the winnings were just for $10,000. This made the man even more suspicious, and he did what any normal person would do and called the cops. Both men were arrested for grand larceny.
In March of 2013, two brothers were charged with stealing a $5 million lottery ticket from one of their patrons. The man who turned the ticket in was told he had won only $5,000 and was paid $4,000 (the shop owner took $1,000 for the store fee). The gentleman knew the ticket was worth $5 million. The store owners waited six years before cashing in the winning ticket. The brothers have been charged with the crime and went to trial in April 2013. The family knows a thing or two about lottery fraud. The brother’s uncle was also charged with stealing 256 scratch-off tickets.
In 2012, a woman in New Orleans, Louisiana almost got swindled out of $10,000. The numbers on her lotto ticket for the Mega Millions matched 4 of the five white balls, and she also matched the yellow power ball number. When she went to claim her winnings, the clerk told her she only won $3.
Luckily, the woman always signs her name on the back of her lotto tickets (Good idea!), so when the clerk tried to cash in the winning ticket, he was arrested. He has been charged with trying to cash in an altered lottery ticket. The four convenience stores that he owns have been suspended from selling lottery tickets. The woman has since received her winnings.
A Common Thread?
These stories and others like them seem to have a common thread. Middle Easterners typically own the shops where the scams are being carried out. It would be wrong to say that this is just a mere coincidence; but, it would also be wrong to say that these sorts of crimes are committed solely by those from the Middle East.
It’s an unfortunate circumstance when you cannot trust even the store clerk who handles your lottery tickets. Yes, it could be tempting to have a winning lottery ticket in your hand, but the store receives some money for selling winning lottery tickets. Why be dishonest and potentially face big-time legal troubles?
Greed is an ugly motivator. If there is one thing that can be learned from these stories is to be wary of who handles your lottery tickets. Take steps to ensure that you receive your winnings.
Thinking it’s about time to get the truth out and let people know what Mark Steller and Eileen Lilygren had done. After stealing a winning Lottery ticket at the old town market Mark did nothing but lie. See, Mark Steller never validated the winning ticket. Mark never had a cash authorization printed from the lottery terminal for the dollar Eileen Lilygren said the ticket was worth. Mark Steller knows he does not have these documents that he must have, but did not have.
Mark knowing this makes Mark a thief just like his multiple convicted felon best friend Eileen Lilygren. The draw game Eileen said won a dollar, does not have a dollar as a prize. Mark Steller puts on a good show when he needs to. Eileen and Mark need to be held accountable for this grand theft. Due to the amount of stolen cash, this crime is a felony. Mark Steller is on the Orcutt school board now. That needs to be fixed. Mark Steller has a bar now. How do you think he paid for that bar? With his cut of the stolen ticket money. The bar is called Stellers cellers. I think a name chang is in order. How about Stellers Cell. Home of the stolen glass of wine. Feel free to steal something from the bar, Feel free to ask mark Steller why he did not have the validated ticket.There is only one reason not to have validated that ticket, that was to steal the ticket.
If you document the ticket number on the back of the ticket and your name is on the ticket is that justify enough and you are the ticket reader only there to be used but the clerk? They should let the ticket holder scan his own ticket.
What can you do we pay to win the lottery and not for the clerk and the owner to steal it from you serious this is a problem that needs to be solved what can be done is the lottery commission is not make sure these people are the rightful owner of the ticket like suppose to
This is an update from Mitchell. Well, I found out a lot of things about the ca lottery. The Lottery refuses to investigate this stolen ticket, and I found out why. When the ca Lottery found out the Retailer (mark steller) of the store where my ticket had been stolen by Eileen Lilygren (clerk) was on the ballot for the state wide school board election. Well well, now I know why I was told by the Manager of Law Enforcement (Becky Lloyd) that this case would never be investigated. Also, none of my evidence was accepted, which I got from a bank Manager where I bank. This updated information was clear and showed the date and exact time I was at the store. The Retailer agreed on the date, as did I, the statement showed the agreed date. Becky Lloyd would not accept it as evidence of me being there. That’s just the way everything went. I had a witness standing a couple feet away, again Becky Lloyd would not accept a witness. The Retailer told me the Lottery said not to show or tell me anything. That was after I ask the Retailer to show me my validated ticket and cash authorization receipt, which he did not have. That shows Ca. Lottery rules had been broken with no doubt. Now the Lottery is trying to hide the whole thing. They know Becky Lloyd has broken the Law. Becky Lloyd wanted to play hero and save the day, for the lottery and retailer before his election. But in doing so she had to defraud me. Because Becky Lloyd is in law enforcement does not give her the right to break the law and get away with it. It’s not over until I say it’s over…
I bought a lucky dip lottery ticket from a shop in the UK as a gift for my mother. I looked at the ticket and my first thought was that those numbers would never win. They were a weird combination and I memorised them. My mum at the time was in hospital. She went home at the start of COVID. I never got to give it to her so I kept it in my purse. I hadn’t checked it at this point but knew the numbers off by heart. Two weeks after buying the ticket I hadn’t checked it as I wanted to check it with my mum. They then released it was bought in my area and I thought I better check that ticket. And then I don’t know why but the next time I was in my car I emptied my purse and put the ticket under a couple receipts in my car promptly thought that was silly and put in my back jeans pocket. I then went home. I don’t know if I lost the ticket in the house or on the way home from my car. I had a migraine coming on and I forgot what I had done with the ticket. However the next day I checked the numbers online and they where my numbers. I was shocked and went looking for the ticket to no avail. I then applied to the lottery lost ticket division thinking that they would check the store CCTV it did have them because I phoned to check. My mothers illness got worse and she unfortunately died. I eventually went to check in the shop about the ticket and found the lottery did not contact them. I again appealed to the lottery I knew it was my ticket. However I later contacted a lawyer and again to no avail. It was my ticket but the lottery paid it to someone else. I have been a good hard working person all my life. I was put through enormous stress when my mum died as my brother and nephew have made my life a living hell over the funeral and continue to make my life hell including putting my job at risk. I work in a public environment. My biggest regret is losing that ticket because I would have been able to be financially safe and they would not have been able to cause me all the harm that they have. And continue to do so. Of course if I had given my mum the ticket they would have ended up with all the money. They already got her house and her insurance policy as they had her in debt and she didn’t want to leave them homeless. I had bought my tiny flat years ago and have very little but I earned it all myself. To top it all I have a chronic illness. So how much was the ticket for over £50million,
Nelson
They know its a winning ticket before it is even handed to you … do the switch with an already cashed out ticket I fear (could be wrong). Discovered from Asbury Missouri yesterday? Wow, I hope I am not a victim. Dang thing dings its a winner before you get the ticket in your hands to photo and sign. THE SWITCH is enabled by the ding 🙁
I need a great lawyer. My 3.2 million megabucks ticket was stolen by two store workers. I reported it to the state lottery in a letter but never got a reply. I signed my ticket so that is proof that I won. Oh, it happened 38 years ago. Can a great lawyer get me my winnings with interest? George Kaye
I got ripped off by a clerk Eileen Lilygren at OLD TOWN MARKET ORCUTT CA. and the owner Mark Steller helped her get away with it. She told me I didn’t win, I seen her lock my ticket in the register, then changed it to a dollar like that would make it better. WRONG and old Steller lied about everything to cover it up Mark Steller knows the truth and knows an INVESTIGATION will show all his lies Now his little buddy is on the internet telling everybody she won the lottery and talking about her lucky lottery numbers. MARK STELLER YOU LIED TO SAVE YOUR OWN NECK I WANT YOU OUT OF MY TOWN we no longer want your dirty little store here STAY AWAY FROM THIS STORE ITS A RIPOFF
Take pictures of your ticket front and back after you sign them, people! How can you just hand into a stranger millions of dollars before taking any precautions?! I’d go to the store with a camera and recording device if I were you. So sad! And stupid.
This happened to me in 2009 or 2010. I had all numbers except the Powerball and the clerk said big won, but only gave me $100. How can I get the Powerball winning owed to me? Please help!
What do you do if this happened to you? It happened to me when I lived in Atlanta, GA I called the lottery commission in Atlanta I was told “if I did know what day it was on or the number at bottom of the ticket, there’s nothing they could do for me” I even told them I New the first two lines I’d been playing the same two lines of numbers plus three quick picks since I started playing. No help!
These kind of stories don’t surprise me at all! I’m sure there are many more victims.
After a clerk checked my ca. lottery ticket she locked it in the register said it didn’t win so I ask questions she got mad and said OK YOU WON A DOLLAR ALRIGHT!!! She could not even look at me and stopped talking like I was not even there and would not open that register she had stolen my ticket. Still don’t know the ending yet.
I have a stolen lottery ticket, but no one believes me. It was the store manager that took the ticket. Is she cooking the books? Because when the lottery commission ran the report that ticket wasn’t on there yet a ticket that posted on the lotteries website 4 days later was cashed at a different location. I did sign the ticket, but it is attached to my bank acct. Help.
I had a £6.9 million winning EuroMillions lottery ticket stolen from me in 2007. It is still reported as an unclaimed Devon lottery ticket. If you would like a fuller account of my tale let me know. The local papers will not touch my tale and the folks at the lottery whom I complained to this year after their helpline also failed to respond has also acted most erratically and eventually instructed me to contact the Police which I have done.