PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The man who claimed a half-million dollar Florida Lottery prize a few days ago was determining Friday how much money he would need to post bail after police took him into custody on a warrant.
Giovanni Sanchez, 27, of the 1600 block of Southeast Tiffany Club Place, Port St. Lucie, was charged Friday afternoon with grand theft, three counts of trafficking in stolen property and three counts of giving false information to a pawnbroker. He was booked into the St. Lucie County Jail Friday afternoon. His bail will be determined at his first appearance Saturday.
According to Florida Lottery officials, the ticket Sanchez bought Sunday at a Speedway convenience store in Jensen Beach was for the $500,000 Holiday Gifts Scratch-Off game.
Police began in May investigating Sanchez as a suspect in a complaint of missing jewelry by an ex-girlfriend, according to his affidavits. She contacted police when she realized $3,350 worth of jewelry was missing from her home.
Sanchez and his ex-girlfriend dated for six months and lived together part of that time, according to statements she gave to police. The couple broke up in February.
A detective determined that between Dec. 24 and Jan. 8, Sanchez made three sales of five pieces of jewelry to two pawn shops in the city, according to affidavits. Store records show the jewelry he pawned matched the description of the jewelry his ex-girlfriend said was missing.
Sanchez received $510 from the three transactions, police said. Most of the items had already been sold by the stores when police asked about them in May, polce said.
Police spokesman Sgt. Frank Sabol said officers looked for Sanchez at multiple addresses and used several phone numbers, but could not locate him.
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Taxes, restitution, bond.....bye, bye money and those smiling faces too.
If the girl is smart, she'll leave now. Making a little Sanchez at this point will only
create more money woes.
How convenient for him to win $500k.... now he can repay for all those stolen goods. I have a feeling the police will shaft him like they did Marie Holmes.
What do you mean the police will shaft him like they did Marie Holmes? You mean jack up the bail because of the money won ?
Marie didn't get shafted. She shafted herself by being stupid hanging around a felon. No one forced her to put up bail for him.
This lady was smart enough to split with her loser.
The lottery doesn't care who wins it, as long as it gets won.
Congratulations to law enforcement for catching this thief.
I agree
. His former girl friend will be paid back. Great police work.
Dumb Criminal.
Don't be so hard on the man. He will probably still have a little money left over. How many of us can go to jail with even $100k to our name? Just my thoughts on it all.
Another popular, creative type of fella won!
Hum, this lottery winner was ALMOST also successful with evading the person he stole from and the police.
Does anyone here think that the woman in this picture should double check her and her son's valuables to see if anything is missing this year?
I know its just the luck of the draw. However, it pisses me off when criminals win the lottery over law abiding citizens.
Whats worse? This guy (criminals) winning or when someone who is ALREADY well off winning???
Somebody who is a criminal who is already well off.
Flossy!!!!
LOL, precious!
Yep.
Criminals and stupid people. Oh dear Lord at the stupid people.
Of course she got shafted. Yes, she's making really dumb and questionable decisions which I don't see ending well until she leaves him and cuts ties with the people who will continue to drag her down, but that doesn't mean she isn't getting shafted. There are actual murderers, wealthy murderers, whose bail is much less than his. The guy then violates the terms of his release, and instead of being held without bail, as would be the norm, bail is set at a ridiculous sum.
You think they did that out of the goodness of their hearts? If you think the judge and prosecutors involved don't know the emotional pressure she's under to pony up his bail, you're kidding yourself. They know she feels obligated to get him out, which is why they set that second bail amount instead of simply keeping him behind bars until his trial, which is what they would have done had she not won that money. Do you really believe they think it's in the best interest of society to release a repeat offender who's still dealing heroin and who's been caught with illegal firearms?
Regardless, she is shafting herself by putting up bail. No one, no one, is making her do it. I sure can't feel sorry for her. Just because she has the money doesn't she should spend it, or has to spend it....on a convicted felon of all people.