dpA Florida Lottery winner went to a DeLand Walmart to claim a $2,700 prize. Deputies say the receipt he needed to redeem the money ended up in the cashier’s vest pocket instead.
Tameka Hall, 40, was arrested on a felony grand theft charge after the incident at a Walmart convenience store along South Woodland Boulevard, according to ClickOrlando.
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office said the elderly customer visited the store Sunday morning with a winning Florida Lottery ticket. Hall, who was working as a cashier, gave him instructions on how to claim the prize, investigators said.
Hours later, the customer realized he did not have the receipt required to redeem the money. He returned to the store and reported the problem to management.
Surveillance Video Showed The Receipt Going Into Her Vest, Deputies Say
Detectives said the store manager reviewed surveillance video after the customer came back without the receipt.
The video allegedly showed Hall folding the receipt and placing it into the left pocket of her uniform vest before leaving work for the day, ClickOrlando reported.
Deputies met with Hall inside Walmart’s security office Monday morning. Investigators said Hall told them she became distracted by another customer after speaking with the victim and put the receipt in her pocket because she intended to give it to a manager, but never did.
Authorities said deputies went with Hall to her vehicle, where they recovered the winning lottery receipt. She was then placed under arrest.
The Prize Was Too Large To Pay Out At The Counter
The Florida Lottery says prizes of $599 or less may be claimed at an authorized lottery retailer or a district office. Prizes from $600 to $1 million, for games that do not offer an annual payment option, may be claimed at a Florida Lottery district office.
The Lottery also says prizes of $250,000 or less may be claimed by mail with the required documents. For prizes of $600 or more, the claim form says the winner must submit the original ticket, an original Winner Claim Form, and acceptable identification.
That made the paperwork part of the prize. The customer still had a winning ticket, but he needed the receipt tied to the store transaction before he could keep moving through the claim process.
A Lottery Expert Said To Sign The Ticket First
Oscar Acosta, founder of LottoExpert.net, told ClickOrlando that players should protect a winning ticket immediately by signing the back, taking photos, and keeping every receipt tied to the claim.
“You need to protect that ticket,” Acosta said. “You don’t want to lose track of that ticket.”
The Florida Lottery’s winner checklist also tells players to sign the back of a winning ticket as soon as they verify it is a winner. The Lottery’s claim form says payment will be made to the person whose name appears on the back of the ticket.
For a prize that has to be claimed through a district office or by mail, the ticket, validation receipt, claim form, and identification should stay together until the claim is finished.
Walmart Said Hall No Longer Works There
Walmart declined to comment on the incident, ClickOrlando reported. The company confirmed that Hall is no longer employed by Walmart. The customer’s receipt was recovered, according to deputies.
The charge against Hall remains an allegation unless proven in court.
