A Massachusetts store clerk and co-worker have been charged with allegedly attempting to steal a $3 million winning lottery ticket left by a customer.
Last week, a grand jury returned indictments charging 23-year-old Carly Nunes with one count of theft from a building, attempted robbery, making a false claim, and witness intimidation, according to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s office. New release.
Prosecutors said her co-worker, 32-year-old Joseph Redeem, has been charged with attempted extortion. The couple is expected to go to trial at a later, undisclosed date.
An investigation revealed that on January 17 an unidentified man entered a Lakeville liquor store and purchased a bag of baked potato chips along with 4 lottery tickets — two Massachusetts express lottery picks for the Mega Millions lottery and two for the Mass Cash lottery — prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said the man added a multiplier to his Mega Millions ticket to increase the jackpot prize, and Nunes, who worked at the checkout counter, placed the order and printed two lottery tickets. She went back to the cash register and called the victim’s $12 order, but he left the store without the lottery tickets, according to prosecutors.
Plymouth County, DA
Forty-five minutes after the man left his tickets behind, Nunes contacted another customer who had bought five lottery tickets. Prosecutors said the second customer realized he had two extra tickets and returned them to Nunes.
Prosecutors said: “Nunes took the tickets and said they must belong to him, the victim.”
The man who had left the tickets behind searched for them briefly but then assumed he had lost them. Later that evening, his Mass Millions ticket numbers were announced as the winning numbers for a $3 million jackpot, prosecutors said.
Two days later, Riddim drove Nunes and her boyfriend to the Massachusetts State Lottery headquarters, where the ticket, which was “torn and appeared to be burnt,” was valued at $3 million.
Upon learning of his value, prosecutors said, “Nons and her boyfriend embraced and celebrated.” But shortly thereafter, he heard Nunes and Reddem arguing about the amount of money Reddem would receive, and Nunes told him she would “only pay him $200,000,” according to prosecutors.
Because of the controversy and the condition of the ticket, Massachusetts Lottery investigators decided to interview Nunes.
Nunes told investigators she purchased the winning tickets at the end of her shift on January 17 and said the tickets’ condition was because they were accidentally torn when removing them from her purse. The prosecution said the burn marks were because she had accidentally put the ticket on a tube.
Prosecutors said that “lottery officials told Nunes that they were opening an investigation and that at the conclusion of this investigation, she would receive the jackpot prize.” Lottery officials contacted the Massachusetts State Police and an investigation began.
Investigators discovered surveillance footage that confirmed Nunes did not purchase the winning ticket. In later interviews, Nunes changed her story and said she “inadvertently” got the winning ticket.
Prosecutors said investigators worked for a month to locate the man who left his winning tickets, finally finding him on February 13.
The Massachusetts State Lottery Commission says it intends to honor the man’s claim to the $3 million jackpot.
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