A South Florida U.S. Postal Service employee is facing charges after she was accused of stealing a winning lottery ticket and cashing it in, authorities said.
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Lekaysha Lockhart, 28, of Hollywood, was arrested back on July 23 on charges including grand theft, dealing in stolen property, petty theft, use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony, filing a false claim and obtaining mail by fraud or deception, records showed.
Florida Lottery officials said the investigation began after the victim won a $2,600 Pick 4 prize and mailed the ticket to claim her money but it never reached the destination.
It was later determined that the winning ticket had been redeemed by Lockhart on June 19 at the Florida Lottery’s Miami District Office, officials said.
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Lockhart was later identified as a United States Postal Service letter carrier, and when questioned by investigators, she admitted to stealing the ticket, authorities 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. “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.”
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