Store clerk gets prison term for Ohio lottery ticket theft

Jun 2, 2010, 8:42 am (20 comments)

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Deborah Strong admits she is a habitual thief whose gambling addiction has resulted in her stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from her employers over the last decade.

For her latest theft — more than $500,000 in Ohio Lottery scratch-off tickets from a Kroger store — she was sent Tuesday to prison for the maximum sentence of five years. She pleaded guilty to the charge of aggravated theft last month.

The sentence was imposed by Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Dennis Helmick, who also was the judge in a previous case where Strong was convicted of stealing from her employer.

"I've wronged my family and my employer," Strong, 53, of Westwood, told the judge. "I'm sorry for everybody involved."

Helmick wasn't convinced.

"It doesn't seem to faze you at all," Helmick said after he imposed the maximum sentence. "That's not true," she answered.

Then why, the judge wondered, did Strong — married 27 years with four adult children — twice before steal from her employers.

In 2001, the same year she started working for Kroger, Strong stole $14,150 from Cash City, a payday lender. She also was convicted in federal court in 2005 for stealing $20,000 from Provident Bank, where she was a teller.

She received no prison time in either case but was ordered to repay both former employers. Strong said Tuesday she was paying a total of about $150 per month in restitution for both of those crimes.

The Kroger theft was far more costly to her employer. While she pleaded guilty to stealing $189,000 in scratch-off lottery tickets, Kroger said last month when she was convicted that the actual amount was $530,000. In court Tuesday, the judge noted Kroger now believes her theft totals $550,000 in scratch-offs.

"At what point do your hands get burned so badly that you don't put them into the fire again?" the judge asked.

In her job at the Westwood Kroger store, Strong was in charge of ordering the scratch-off tickets and making sure all of the accompanying paperwork and internal computer entries were accurate. Strong was caught when Kroger changed computer networks in the last year and auditors noticed discrepancies in what Strong was reporting and what their records revealed.

Helmick noted that after he convicted Strong in the 2001 theft case, he placed her on probation and ordered her to attend Gamblers Anonymous classes. She admitted she hadn't been to the classes "in years."

Strong reported on her 2009 taxes that she had $43,000 in gambling winnings.

Cincinnati

Comments

sully16's avatarsully16

Bye Bye Debbie, see ya wouldn't want to be ya.

Littleoldlady's avatarLittleoldlady

I just wonder if some of these weak sentences could have been turned to jail time early and then maybe this third theft would not have happened.  Some folks just don't "get it". 

Raven62's avatarRaven62

And now she gets to steal $50,000/yr for the next 5 years ($250,000) from the Citizens of Ohio: The Cost  to the Tax Payers to keep her Confined in Prison!

RJOh's avatarRJOh

There must not be many employable people in Westwood if Provident Bank and Kroger hired her to handle their money after she stole $14,150 from Cash City.  She probably will have a similar job waiting for her as soon as she's out.

billyloco

     The perp is a PROFESSIONAL THIEF...DUH!!!!!!  I cannot believe that this person was

able to get away with this and how in the heck did Kroger hire her with a record of theft....unless no reference check was done!!

I'm not a virgin to firing employees for theft, and yes you can usually spot a thief within a

few days of observing them, especially if you're expierenced with the 7-Eleven company motto, as i am....."IN GOD WE TRUST, EVERYBODY ELSE WE POLOGRAPH!!"

jeffrey's avatarjeffrey

Quote: Originally posted by RJOh on Jun 2, 2010

There must not be many employable people in Westwood if Provident Bank and Kroger hired her to handle their money after she stole $14,150 from Cash City.  She probably will have a similar job waiting for her as soon as she's out.

I hate to say it but she looks like an ordinary older lady. That's probably the reason why she gets hired.  She blends in to the background very well. She probably does have an addiction or she is desperate. It looked like easy pickings and her two previous slaps on the wrists did no good as a deterent. I just don't understand how she thought she would get away with it. She should have quit and denied everything. Hard to prove these things. Maybe the store had video proof. Crime does not pay but everyone else does.

dpoly1's avatardpoly1

There are a few hundred thieves in Washington DC that need to go to jail with her

........ they keep getting rehired also !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

emilyg's avataremilyg

Quote: Originally posted by dpoly1 on Jun 2, 2010

There are a few hundred thieves in Washington DC that need to go to jail with her

........ they keep getting rehired also !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can hardly wait for Nov.  Vote them out.

HaveABall's avatarHaveABall

The article indicated:  "The Kroger theft was far more costly to her employer. While she pleaded guilty to stealing $189,000 in scratch-off lottery tickets, Kroger said last month when she was convicted that the actual amount was $530,000. In court Tuesday, the judge noted Kroger now believes her theft totals $550,000 in scratch-offs.

Strong reported on her 2009 taxes that she had $43,000 in gambling winnings."

WOW, out of apx. $550,000 worth of scratch-off lottery tickets, only apx. $43,000 in tickets were big enough winners for her to HAVE to file her name to officially collect the monies?  I hope that many other wins were under the $100 each maximum, or whatever amount that doesn't document winner's name, before payout ... otherwise those scratch-off game odds are scams!

All theft is very bad!  At the rate that payback is going, I think it will be impossible for this female thief to fully repay, with interest, any of these three businesses that she's stolen from.  Therefore, I think that prison doesn't make sense in theft cases; unless a prison can employ these folks in Mon.-Sat. F/T occupation that brings in much more $$$ to the state/Fed's coffers than the few U.S. income tax payers $20K-50K/year output (or whatever it costs) that it costs to house/watch/keep these types of societal offenders.

Dupe Alert

konane's avatarkonane

Quote: Originally posted by emilyg on Jun 2, 2010

I can hardly wait for Nov.  Vote them out.

I Agree!

"In 2001, the same year she started working for Kroger, Strong stole $14,150 from Cash City, a payday lender. She also was convicted in federal court in 2005 for stealing $20,000 from Provident Bank, where she was a teller.

Back to the original article .... beats me how she was hired by Kroger unless there was no real background check done on her.

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

Stole $14,000, punishment: Pay it back

Stole $20,000, punishment: Pay it back

Stole $500,000, punishment 5 years

The judge or judges who let her go the first two times ought to pay Kroger back.

TheGameGrl's avatarTheGameGrl

Quote: Originally posted by rdgrnr on Jun 2, 2010

Stole $14,000, punishment: Pay it back

Stole $20,000, punishment: Pay it back

Stole $500,000, punishment 5 years

The judge or judges who let her go the first two times ought to pay Kroger back.

both the judge and the culprit really should pay it back.  Why was that not imposed on her as part of the jail sentence?

To clairfy a misinterpretation the new system WAS ABLE to determine the true loss .

She really should be banned to ever play the lottery or gaming of any sorts. Create a black list just like they do for criminals who are no longer allowed to vote or carry a gun.

Nino224's avatarNino224

I think the real story here is how more than half a million in scratch-offs didn't yield any real money.

Reason #378 for not buying scratch-offs.

grave

Quote: Originally posted by HaveABall on Jun 2, 2010

The article indicated:  "The Kroger theft was far more costly to her employer. While she pleaded guilty to stealing $189,000 in scratch-off lottery tickets, Kroger said last month when she was convicted that the actual amount was $530,000. In court Tuesday, the judge noted Kroger now believes her theft totals $550,000 in scratch-offs.

Strong reported on her 2009 taxes that she had $43,000 in gambling winnings."

WOW, out of apx. $550,000 worth of scratch-off lottery tickets, only apx. $43,000 in tickets were big enough winners for her to HAVE to file her name to officially collect the monies?  I hope that many other wins were under the $100 each maximum, or whatever amount that doesn't document winner's name, before payout ... otherwise those scratch-off game odds are scams!

All theft is very bad!  At the rate that payback is going, I think it will be impossible for this female thief to fully repay, with interest, any of these three businesses that she's stolen from.  Therefore, I think that prison doesn't make sense in theft cases; unless a prison can employ these folks in Mon.-Sat. F/T occupation that brings in much more $$$ to the state/Fed's coffers than the few U.S. income tax payers $20K-50K/year output (or whatever it costs) that it costs to house/watch/keep these types of societal offenders.

Dupe Alert

yep, thats about right.... out of about 550,000 worth of scratch off's she only won 43,000..... thats why scratch off's make the most money for each of the states lottery...... tons and tons of losers and only a small batch of decent winnersThud......prime example right here....Thumbs Down

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