"She's a bad girl, and she'll steal your stuff."

Includes video report

By Kate Northrop

A Florida ex-con was arrested in August after being caught stealing around $1,500 worth of lottery tickets at a convenience store, but it was not her first encounter with the law.

One Florida woman is taking a trip to jail instead of a trip to Florida Lottery offices after she stole lottery tickets and immediately cashed them in, making her "wins" rather short-lived.

Samantha Young, 38, was caught in the act on surveillance security video wearing a dark hoodie, a full face covering, and gloves. Despite the lengths she went through to conceal her identity, it did not take long for authorities to catch her.

"Well, you look at Samantha Young, she's 38, [and] you go, 'That's not a bad looking lady for 38,'" Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a video briefing, holding up a photo of her mugshot. "Looks can be deceiving."

Young has had several charges brought up against her for various crimes over the past 17 years. This time, she was caught trying to scoop some big wins in the lottery, albeit in a highly illegal way.

"She was already in trouble in South Carolina for armed robbery, she's been arrested in Florida 22 times, she just got out of state prison in February of this year," Judd continued.

Authorities stated that Young was released from prison in February after serving time for felony probation related to trafficking in stolen property. Her probation was set to conclude in February 2027.

According to Polk County inmate records, Young's first arrest dates to 2007 when she was arrested for unarmed burglary and damage to property of over $200 and under $1,000.

Young's latest arrest took place after she burglarized a Circle K convenience store in Lakeland at around 9:45 p.m. on Aug. 4., officials said. She reached over the counter, and grabbed "a whole lot of lottery tickets," Judd explained. Then, she went to other lottery retailers and cashed them in.

That's how authorities were able to catch her almost right away — she wasted no time in cashing in the prizes, redeeming six tickets at one store. Of the 48 she stole, nine were winners, amounting to $470 in winnings, and affidavit says.

"The Florida Lottery provided documentation of the locations and times of where the stolen winning lottery tickets were redeemed," the sheriff's office explained. "Investigative resources were utilized to identify the suspect. A vehicle was observed in the area in the time frame of when the crime occurred. It was learned the vehicle was associated with the suspect."

Authorities visited Young's home in Lakeland on Aug. 23, and during an interview, she admitted to redeeming the stolen tickets.

"She's a bad girl, and she'll steal your stuff," Judd added.

Young was arrested and booked into Central County Jail in Bartow on Aug. 23, where she currently awaits sentencing.

"We found her. We locked her up," Judd said. "She didn't win the lottery, but she did win a trip to the county jail. Her next stop? State prison."

She was charged one count of unarmed burglary of an occupied structure, one count of violation of probation, one count of grand theft valued between $750 and $5,000, and one count of obtaining property by fraud of up to $20,000.

"Will you ever learn? Probably not." Judd said while addressing Young's mugshot.

VIDEO: Watch the morning briefing

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