Authorities say a store worker in Tennessee was arrested for theft after he attempted to claim the $1 million reward on his own after stealing a father’s winning lottery ticket.
The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office reports that Meet Patel, 23, was accused of stealing more than $250,000.
According to a press release from the sheriff’s office, the true winner paid $20 for two winning Diamond and Gold scratch-off lottery tickets at a Shell gas station in Murfreesboro.
After removing the front bar codes with a scratch, the client asked Patel to see if they were winning tickets. Because the client was unaware of the tickets’ value, Patel awarded him a lesser award and disposed of the winning tickets.
One of the tickets had won forty dollars, he informed the man. When it turned out the other ticket was a million-dollar winner, he played as though it was a loser.
On store security footage, Patel could be seen pulling the winning ticket out of the garbage and pocketing it. Later, he may be seen on camera having fun at the shop.
Lottery authorities became suspicious after Patel attempted to claim the prize and started looking into it, which included looking at the store’s security footage. Patel is being jailed under a bail of $100,000.
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Before being approached by Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office Detective Lieutenant Steve Craig, the legitimate owner was not aware of his lottery winnings. Patel is being jailed at the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center on a $100,000 bond.
