A U.S. Postal Service letter carrier stole a winning lottery ticketfrom the mail and fraudulently claimed the prize, authorities said.
An investigation was launched when someone reported a winning Pick 4 ticket mailed through the United States Postal Service never reached its intended investigation. It was determined the ticket was redeemed June 19 at the Florida Lottery's Miami District Office by Lekaysha Lockhart.
Lockhart was arrested July 23 and charged with grand theft, dealing in stolen property, filing a false claim for payment, two counts of unlawful use of a two-way communications device and mail theft. Investigators said Lockhart admitted to the crime.
What was the prize amount for the lottery ticket allegedly stolen by U.S. Postal worker?
Authorities did not say how much the winning lottery ticket was worth.
Prizes of $599
or less can be claimed at any authorized Florida Lottery retailer or a Florida Lottery District Office. Prizes of $600 to $1 million may be claimed at a Florida Lottery District Office.
The current prize for Pick 4 is $5,000.
“Our players deserve confidence that every Lottery prize is protected through strong security measures and diligent oversight,” said Florida Lottery Secretary Reginald D. Dixon. “I commend our Division of Security for their outstanding investigative work and thank our partners at the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General and the Broward County Sheriff's Office for their collaboration in protecting the integrity of Florida Lottery games and bringing this case to a successful resolution.”
Michelle Spitzer is a journalist for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. As the network’s Rapid Response reporter, she covers Florida’s breaking news. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: U.S. Postal Service worker stole winning lottery ticket, police say
