Store employees accused of stealing $140,000 in lottery tickets

Feb 23, 2016, 8:45 pm (22 comments)

Wisconsin Lottery

Three Oshkosh, Wisconsin, women each face a felony theft charge after authorities say they collectively stole more than $140,000 in lottery tickets from their employer during the course of three years.

Sheila A. Coates, 32, Nicole A. Cushman, 30, and Christina A. Jacques, 35, all appeared Monday in Winnebago County Circuit Court, where Commissioner Bryan Keberlein set $1,000 signature bonds and scheduled preliminary hearings for each defendant.

According to the criminal complaint, the owner of Bob's Citgo contacted Oshkosh police Jan. 25, 2015, after finding out some of his employees were stealing lottery tickets from the business and giving them to someone in exchange for drugs.

Jacques admitted to the owner and later to investigators that she had been stealing lottery tickets since October 2014 to support a drug habit. She said she would buy pills from Cushman and a man named Ray, in exchange for winning lottery tickets and that Coates also stole lottery tickets.

The owner provided investigators with documents that showed the store's finances did not balance only on the days the three defendants worked. He determined that Jacques stole $42,800 from August 2013 to January 2015; Coates stole $9,520 from October 2014 to January 2015; and Cushman stole $87,900 from 2012 to January 2015.

Jacques told investigators that the $42,800 number did not seem accurate but could not remember how many tickets she had taken. Cushman admitted to taking the tickets but did not realize how many, saying she became addicted to hydrocodone after having a cesarean section surgery.

At first, Coates said she would take lottery tickets and then have that amount deducted from her paycheck — so much so that she often would end up without any take-home pay — which the owner later told investigators was not allowed. Coates later admitted she also gave tickets to a man named Ray, from whom she bought pain pills, the complaint said.

If convicted, Coates could face a maximum sentence of six years in prison, and Jacques and Cushman could each face 10 years. Their next court appearances are scheduled for March 7, 10 and 17, respectively.

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Northwestern

Comments

Enigmas

Those are some rough looking chicks...

Nikkicute's avatarNikkicute

Quote: Originally posted by Enigmas on Feb 23, 2016

Those are some rough looking chicks...

That's what drugs will do to a person, it will age you quick!!

Enigmas

Judging by the second one it will also turn you into a man...

Nikkicute's avatarNikkicute

Quote: Originally posted by Enigmas on Feb 23, 2016

Judging by the second one it will also turn you into a man...

LOL oh no!! She's just got a strong jaw. lol

Right now they need rehab, drug dealers taking lotto tickets as payment? wow!

ElinaSammy2081's avatarElinaSammy2081

Quote: Originally posted by Enigmas on Feb 23, 2016

Those are some rough looking chicks...

I Agree! Green laugh

ohiopick3's avatarohiopick3

I am sure that this happens more often that thought in a lot of stores in other states as well.

It's an easy thing to do "for the employee". "Temptation is there". Particularly if you know when you get the "high rollers" buying many "big money" scratch offs and "losing" on the big tickets. Hoping on that $100 or maybe a $500 or better would be worth a try? But...

It's a crime and a shame. Hope they are able to re-coop!

ohiopick3's avatarohiopick3

Based on the other posts on this thread, I would think that, based on the woman on the lefts "facial features" would probably look pretty good about 10 years ago or now without drug addiction? And a new hair cut too.

Watch what you do people, it is a dangerous world out there. "Think first before you react."

US Flag

dr65's avatardr65

Quote: Originally posted by Enigmas on Feb 23, 2016

Judging by the second one it will also turn you into a man...

lol! That's what I thought too. Maybe Norse? Very thick neck.

jarasan's avatarjarasan

Dang cheeseheads,  got some hormones or something in that cheese.

Scared

picktowin's avatarpicktowin

Why are business so dumb to let that go on for so long to begin with ?

I sure they had them on tape for along time.

RedStang's avatarRedStang

Quote: Originally posted by dr65 on Feb 23, 2016

lol! That's what I thought too. Maybe Norse? Very thick neck.

I saw that neck too and immediately thought "Clay Matthews".

ThatScaryChick's avatarThatScaryChick

I wonder why it took 3 years for the employer to find out that the tickets were being stolen.

mypiemaster's avatarmypiemaster

Welcome to the world of say no to drugs. Drugs will do some crazy stuff to you. Hope they get some rehab.

OneTrickpony's avatarOneTrickpony

Quote: Originally posted by picktowin on Feb 23, 2016

Why are business so dumb to let that go on for so long to begin with ?

I sure they had them on tape for along time.

I agree.  Doesn't the store get a monthly or quarterly sales statement from the Wisconsin Lottery?  If a pack of $30 scratch-offs has 100 tickets per pack and the pack has to be 'scanned active' before they can sell them, how can the owner not see the missing tickets the very first month (quarter, or whatever)? 

XYZ12345 pack of $30 scratch-offs numbered 001-100 were scanned into play and put out for sale.  Next month the statement shows only 95 of those tickets sold, but another pack was scanned into play the following day.  That means 5 of those tickets are missing (stolen).  I've never seen a statement or how detailed it would be, but that discrepancy looks like a big red flag to me. 

I don't think the owner of the business would be that blind to losing $140,000.  Nah.  I think some 'favors' were exchanged for letting it slide, until an accountant or auditor questioned the missing scratch-off numbers.  Just something off about this story.

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