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A U.S. Postal Service letter carrier in Florida has been accused of stealing a winning Pick 4 lottery ticket from the mail and fraudulently claiming the prize, according to the Florida Lottery and investigators.
Florida Lottery officials said Lekaysha Lockhart was arrested July 23 after a player reported that a winning ticket mailed to its intended destination never arrived. A Florida Lottery inspector determined the ticket had been redeemed on June 19 at the Lottery’s Miami District Office by Lockhart, the agency said.
Following her arrest, Florida Lottery special agents and investigators with the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General said Lockhart admitted to stealing the ticket and redeeming it.
She 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. The Florida Lottery said the matter will be prosecuted separately in different judicial circuits because the alleged offenses took place across multiple circuits.
For Florida players, the case is less about the size of the prize — which was not disclosed in the source report — and more about how the state handles lottery security complaints when a winning ticket goes missing. The investigation involved the Florida Lottery Division of Security, the USPS Office of Inspector General and the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.
Florida Lottery Secretary Reginald D. Dixon said the case shows the agency’s focus on protecting players and preserving confidence in lottery games. In a statement, Dixon said players “deserve confidence that every Lottery prize is protected through strong security measures and diligent oversight.”
The case remains at the charging stage. The Florida Lottery has not publicly identified in the source report which courts will handle the separate prosecutions, and it also did not disclose the value of the winning Pick 4 ticket or the intended mailing destination.
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Source: As reported by Scripps News Group.
