Florida Lottery announced that letter carrier Lakaysha Lockhart was arrested on July 31
Credit: Broward County
NEED TO KNOW
- A postal worker is accused of stealing a winning lottery ticket from the mail and redeeming it at a Florida Lottery office
- Police say that the suspect, Lakaysha Lockhart, admitted to taking the ticket amid a joint investigation conducted by the Florida Lottery Division of Security and the U.S. Postal Service
- Lockhart was arrested on July 23 and faces multiple charges, including grand theft and mail theft
A U.S. Postal Service worker was arrested on suspicion of stealing a winning lottery ticket in Florida.
The Florida Lottery announced Friday, July 31 that a joint investigation by the Florida Lottery Division of Security and the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG) “resulted in the arrest of a United States Postal Service employee accused of stealing a winning Florida Lottery ticket from the mail and fraudulently claiming the prize.”
The investigation began after a Florida Lottery ticket buyer went to a Publix grocery store to verify the prize on their ticket, and confirmed that it was a winner. The unidentified person mailed the ticket to a “family relative” in South Florida in an effort to help the relative with funeral costs, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by PEOPLE.
When the ticket was not delivered, its buyer made a report to the Florida Lottery that the ticket had not been delivered by the U.S. Postal Service.
Credit: Broward County
USPS letter carrier Lakaysha Lockhart is accused of redeeming the ticket on June 19 at the Florida Lottery’s Miami District Office, according to the release.
The ticket Lockhart is accused of stealing had a prize value of $2,600, per the affidavit. In Florida, lottery ticket wins in excess of $599 must be redeemed at a lottery office, the affidavit states.
Lockhart was arrested in connection with the lottery ticket theft on July 23, per Florida Lottery.
Upon her arrest, Lockhart reportedly admitted to stealing the winning ticket and redeeming it at the Florida Lottery’s Miami District Office, the release said.
“Our players deserve confidence that every Lottery prize is protected through strong security measures and diligent oversight,” Florida Lottery Secretary Reginald D. Dixon said in a statement.
Credit: Getty
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“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.”
Lockhart has been 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, according to the release.
“Because the alleged offenses occurred in multiple judicial circuits, the cases will be prosecuted separately,” Florida Lottery explained.
PEOPLE has reached out to the U.S. Postal Service.
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