A South Carolina man allegedly managed to make off with a boatload of lottery tickets by tricking gas station clerks into checking out the bathroom.
Videos by Wide Open Country
23-year-old Connor Garrison Anderson was reportedly arrested for lottery fraud. He's charged with "two counts of attempting to influence a game by coercion, tampering, or deception,' according to Charleston outlet WCSC.
The South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) alleges that Anderson stepped into a Berkeley County 7-Eleven twice and the Spinx convenience store once during the week of Sept. 14. SLED claims that Anderson convinced clerks at the gas stations to investigate issues in the stores' bathrooms.
It's unknown as to whether the South Carolina man claimed he backed up the toilet.
However, SLED alleges that while the gas station clerks were away, Anderson managed to swipe "eight and 27 scratch-off lottery tickets, respective to each location," per WCSC.
The alleged lottery ticket thief even scored some winners! All of the allegedly stolen tickets were reportedly scanned into the South Carolina Education Lottery Players Club app. 6 were winners and allegedly cashed in at multiple locations. The total haul for the alleged lottery ticket heist came in at a whopping $165.
Anderson was arrested last week. He was released from the Hill-Finklea Detention Center on bail on the same day. It's unknown how much his bond was. However, it would make for a hell of a story if the bail clocked in at around $165.
A Florida Woman Reportedly Made Off with Much More Cash From an Allegedly Stolen Lottery Ticket
Meanwhile, the news follows a Florida woman arrested in August for reportedly stealing a winning Pick 4 Florida lottery ticket. Lakaysha Lockhart, an employee of the United States Post Office, allegedly stole the winning ticket. She cashed it in July from her mail carrier route, according to ABC 7, citing the Florida Lottery.
The ticket was reportedly valued at $2,600.
The Florida Lottery Division of Security and the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General began an investigation into the matter after a Florida Lottery hopeful claimed that a winning ticket she had sent through the post office never showed up. After discovering Lockhart allegedly cashed in the ticket, she was arrested on July 23. Lockhart later confessed she stole the ticket from her route, according to authorities.
"Our players deserve confidence that every Lottery prize is protected through strong security measures and diligent oversight," Secretary of the Florida Lottery, Reginald D. Dixon, told ABC 7.
Lockart reportedly faces charges of "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."
