A man in Twin Falls, Idaho, has been arrested for stealing $60,000 worth of lottery tickets from the Oasis Stop 'n' Go convenience store on Blue Lakes Blvd.
A spokesperson for the Twin Falls Police Department confirmed, store employee, James Michael Adam, 35, has been charged with nine counts of prohibited lottery acts and one count of grand theft.
An audit revealed the Oasis Stop 'n' Go lost $60,700 between January and June this year.
An investigation by a loss prevention officer discovered there had been a considerable shortage of lottery ticket in March. Further investigation revealed the ticket shortage began in January and the tickets had been activated, at the store, at a later date. The Idaho Lottery then looked deeper into the matter and discovered any winning tickets contained in the stolen packs had been cashed at WinCo Foods.
Footage taken from the surveillance video at WinCo Foods showed Adam cashing the tickets. A check of the surveillance system at Oasis revealed further incriminating footage of Adam breaking into the office and making away with full packs of tickets.
When he was confronted by his employer Adams admitted to the theft and returned two tickets, worth $2,500, which he hadn’t got around to cashing.
In an subsequent interview with the police Adams said he'd used the money from the tickets to play the slot machines and table games in Jackpot, Nevada.
A preliminary hearing will be held in the Twin Falls Magistrate Court on September 19, 2014.
