Two Former South Carolina Store Employees Charged in a Lottery Scratch-Off Theft Scheme
Two former convenience store employees are facing charges in an alleged scheme to steal and cash South Carolina Education Lottery scratch-off tickets.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) charged Eric Thomas Brown Jr., 25, of Iva, with intent to defraud, counterfeit game tickets, and conspiracy to defraud the South Carolina Education Lottery. Kayla Marie Madden, 37, of Easley, was charged with conspiracy to defraud the lottery.
According to arrest warrants, Brown allegedly took scratch-off tickets from the Stop-A-Minit #23 in Anderson County on May 30 and June 4 without paying for them while he was working there. Investigators say surveillance video identified Brown, and Madden is accused of helping him carry out the scheme.
What happens next
The investigation was requested by the South Carolina Education Lottery. Brown and Madden were booked into the Anderson County Detention Center, and the case will be prosecuted by the 10th Circuit Solicitor's Office.
Why taking tickets counts as fraud, not shoplifting
Scratch-off tickets are not the store's cash. Retailers sell them on the lottery's behalf and hand the proceeds back to the state, so taking them is treated as fraud against the lottery rather than ordinary theft from the store. We explain that ownership wrinkle in how lottery retailers get paid. The lottery's system is also built to catch this: every ticket has a barcode and a hidden validation code, tickets reported stolen can be flagged so they fail when scanned, and store cameras record the rest, which is part of why a clerk cannot simply keep the winners, as we cover in whether retailers know which tickets win.
Employee theft of lottery tickets is uncommon but not unheard of, and the validation system plus store cameras tend to make these cases easy to trace. A similar case saw a Florida Winn-Dixie worker charged with scratch-off ticket theft.
Neither has been convicted of anything. The charges are accusations, and both are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. For now the case heads to the courts. If you play in the state, current South Carolina scratch-offs are on our South Carolina page.
Sources
WLTX: Former convenience store employees charged in S.C. Lottery fraud case
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the two people accused of?
Stealing South Carolina Education Lottery scratch-off tickets from the store where one of them worked and cashing them. Eric Thomas Brown Jr. faces fraud, counterfeit-ticket, and conspiracy charges, and Kayla Marie Madden faces a conspiracy charge. The charges are accusations; neither has been convicted.
Why is taking scratch-off tickets treated as fraud?
Because the tickets are the lottery's property until they are sold, not the store's cash. Retailers sell them on the lottery's behalf, so taking them is fraud against the state rather than simple shoplifting.
How do lotteries catch stolen tickets?
Every ticket has a barcode and a hidden validation code, and tickets reported stolen can be flagged so they fail when scanned. Store cameras also record theft, which investigators say identified one of the suspects here.
Jessie Jurado covers consumer lottery topics with a focus on odds, value, and the math most players never see. She believes nobody should buy a scratch ticket without knowing what they're actually getting for their money.
