Date of Publication: March 19, 2026, 09:36h.
Last Revision: March 19, 2026, 09:36h.
- A man from Maryland is facing serious felony charges for the alleged theft of lottery tickets
- The Maryland Lottery authorities aided law enforcement in capturing the suspect
- Reportedly, the man stole more than $10,000 worth of scratch-off tickets
The act of stealing lottery tickets is one of the least intelligent choices a criminal can make. Scratch-off tickets are easily traceable, and when thieves try to cash in on winning tickets, they set off alerts for retailers, ultimately providing substantial evidence for law enforcement to track them down.
The most recent case of stolen lottery tickets resulting in an arrest occurred in Maryland. According to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office, law enforcement was called to a Sunoco gas station in Waldorf on February 26 following a report of theft from store employees.
Witnesses described a Black male wearing a ski mask and gloves who requested to buy a pack of Black & Mild cigars. As the clerk turned to get the tobacco product, the suspect allegedly overreached the counter to snatch a block of Maryland Lottery scratch-off tickets before fleeing the premises.
The value of the stolen lottery tickets was estimated to exceed $4,000. Subsequently, law enforcement was called to the Food Inn convenience store on Mattawoman Drive in Waldorf for a similar robbery, where lottery officials estimated the stolen items to be worth over $6,000.
Lottery Tracking Leads to Apprehension
The Maryland Lottery officials assisted police by providing serial numbers of the stolen lottery tickets. Rather than voiding the tickets, they hoped law enforcement could capture the suspect.
The Lottery’s strategy was successful, as a suspect later redeemed winning tickets from the stolen lottery cache. Lottery officials informed police that several tickets had been cashed at convenience stores in Prince George’s County, where they were subsequently collected as evidence.
Fingerprints obtained from the redeemed tickets narrowed down the suspect to Timothy Lewis Jr., 25, from Upper Marlboro. Surveillance footage from the thefts depicted the suspect fleeing in a white Toyota RAV4, which was later located in Lewis’ possession.
Lewis was arrested and charged with two counts of felony theft ranging from $1,500 to $25,000. After posting a $2,000 unsecured bond, he was released and is scheduled to appear in Charles County District Court on April 28.
Jamaican National Sentenced for Lottery Scam
In another case in Maryland, a federal judge sentenced a Jamaican national this month to 42 months in prison after he pled guilty to a conspiracy involving mail fraud. Nickoy Campbell, 30, was initially facing a potential sentence of 20 years.
Prosecutors revealed that Campbell and three accomplices misled elderly victims into believing they had won a major lottery jackpot. Collectively, over 10 victims were deceived into paying more than $3 million to the fraudsters to access their so-called winnings.
Campbell personally accrued over $500,000 from the scam. His co-conspirators, including Jamaican national Tavoy Farquharson, 34, and two residents from Landover Hills, MD, Wayne Henry, 36, and Dwayne Henry, 34, have also confessed their guilt and are pending sentencing.
It’s important to remember, legitimate lotteries do not require winners to pay any upfront fees or taxes to claim their prizes.