Duo facing felony charges in lottery theft scheme

Apr 11, 2017, 10:12 am (10 comments)

Indiana Lottery

Two Indiana women are facing multiple felony theft charges for their alleged roles in a lottery theft scheme at a convenience store.

Melinda C. Lanning, 42, and Reagan S. Richardson, 19, both of Connersville, Indiana, were each charged in late March by special prosecutor Andrew Bryson of Union County with two counts of Level 6 felony theft, stemming from an investigation by both the Connersville Police Department and the State Lottery Commission of Indiana into the duo allegedly stealing thousands upon thousands of dollars in lottery tickets from Miller's Discount Tobacco in Connersville, where the two women were formerly employed.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, filed March 27 by Mike Bare, Director of Security for the State Lottery Commission of Indiana, the investigation into the alleged lottery thefts began Jan. 27, when Jeff Herbert, owner of Miller's Discount Tobacco, contacted the commission's hotline to report the alleged theft of lottery tickets at his store by both Lanning and Richardson.

The state, at that time, referred Herbert to the Connersville Police Department and Det. Richard Wilcox, who in his ensuing investigation arrested Lanning and charged her initially with misdemeanor theft. Further investigation by the state, however, resulted in the charges against Lanning to be upgraded to felony charges, along with Richardson also being charged with felony theft in March.

The duo, per the affidavit of probable cause filed by Bare, would pull scratch-off lottery tickets from the store's dispensers while they were working, scratch them off, and throw away the losers while cashing in the winners at the store's register.

The scheme allegedly took place between Nov. 19, 2016 and Jan. 25, 2017, with Miller's Discount Tobacco reportedly incurring a loss of $19,005.86 during that period, while the State Lottery Commission of Indiana claims it paid out a total of $6,242.50 in fraudulent winnings to both Lanning and Richardson during that same period, according to the affidavit of probable cause filed by Bare.

The pair allegedly would split the winnings with each other, the affidavit states, and reportedly were both caught on store surveillance cameras in the act while also reportedly admitting the thefts to investigators.

Both are charged with two counts of Level 6 felony theft, with Richardson, in court documents filed Monday in Fayette Superior Court by her attorney, Jud McMillin of Brookville, waiving her initial hearing and entering a plea of not guilty to the charges.

The initial hearing for Lanning on the charges, meanwhile, was continued March 28 by request of her attorney, Paul Barada of Rushville, with a new date yet to be scheduled in Fayette Superior Court.

If found guilty and convicted of the charges, the women could face a maximum sentence of two and a half years in the Indiana Department of Corrections, and up to a $10,000 fine, on each charge.

Connersville News Examiner, Lottery Post Staff

Comments

LiveInGreenBay's avatarLiveInGreenBay

They threw away the losers and cashed in the winners?  How in the world did they expect to get away with that?  Idiots.

Groppo's avatarGroppo

.

You know, the store clerk should be required to scan the ticket leaving the cash register area, to register it, with lotto.

Of course, what I propose is a whole new component to the lotto system, and not only one that I'm sure has been considered but one that will do away with these store thefts.   I didn't read the whole article, but I assume a store was ripped off.  I mean why do we need to see this every so often?     I certainly don't expect thieves to stop thieving.

winoneday

Quote: Originally posted by Groppo on Apr 11, 2017

.

You know, the store clerk should be required to scan the ticket leaving the cash register area, to register it, with lotto.

Of course, what I propose is a whole new component to the lotto system, and not only one that I'm sure has been considered but one that will do away with these store thefts.   I didn't read the whole article, but I assume a store was ripped off.  I mean why do we need to see this every so often?     I certainly don't expect thieves to stop thieving.

You propose a solution to a problem you did not even take the time to read about. Nice attention span.

Groppo's avatarGroppo

Quote: Originally posted by winoneday on Apr 11, 2017

You propose a solution to a problem you did not even take the time to read about. Nice attention span.

.

I'm more attentive to the fact that we have a lotto to play.

Good luck on tonight's lotto.

music*'s avatarmusic*

 Both women have now ruined their futures. Why?

eddessaknight's avatareddessaknight

Quote: Originally posted by music* on Apr 11, 2017

 Both women have now ruined their futures. Why?

BAD GIRLS, BAD GIRLS, WHAT" JA, GOING DO WHEN THEY COME FOR YOU!

Unhappy

TheGameGrl's avatarTheGameGrl

Nice thing about ticket machine dispensers...money first. 

Not so nice thing, when the tickets get jammed and no one will fix it. !

These suspects gambled at their own risk.....

Stores in my area have nightly audits, Even a dollar off on the machines..... sends a red flag...

For a store owner to not have audits in place.....rather foolish. Every ticket is counted and accounted for.

Bleudog101

Again, my simple solution.  Full restitution for all the stolen lottery tickets AND winnings both to the store and Hoosier Lottery.  Five years probation, records expunged if they can keep out of trouble.

music*'s avatarmusic*

Quote: Originally posted by Bleudog101 on Apr 12, 2017

Again, my simple solution.  Full restitution for all the stolen lottery tickets AND winnings both to the store and Hoosier Lottery.  Five years probation, records expunged if they can keep out of trouble.

I Agree! with you Bleudog101. Thank You.Dance

American Indian's avatarAmerican Indian

WOW talk about STUPID!

At their age you would think they would know better? Apparently NOT! I guess even with age doesn't come wisdom to all!

Way back (yes before dirt) when I was at the Convenience store working I had 2 kids by myself to raise my friend I worked with had 4 an was putting herself though College, we couldn't even afford to buy Lotto Tickets but never once did we even think about just taking them!

Yes every shift counted Cig's an Lotto before the next shift logged In, If any were sold after count we had to change the count, It's not that difficult, If you have a brain!

Wish we had the Lottery Vending Machines back then, would have saved a lot of time, If every State had them and Clerks that Knew how to fix them If they went Down or a 24hr Tech Team to call & repair them, we wouldn't have so much Lottery Theft either, because the machine would tell you If It was opened for the heck of It or needed fixed...

End of comments
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