Accused Store Employee Fleeing after Alleged $3 Million Lottery Theft Insists Innocence
A worker at a store in Massachusetts, accused of stealing a customer's $3 million lottery ticket, entered a not guilty plea to related charges this week, according to MassLive.
Carly Nunes, 23, attracted the attention of lottery authorities when she presented a torn and burnt winning ticket at their office in Dorchester, Mass. in May. She disappeared for two weeks following her indictment on June 12 for charges including larceny from a building, filing a false claim, and intimidating a witness.
Nunes was arrested on June 27 and appeared in Brockton Superior Court the same day. She was held on a $10K cash bail.
Abandoned Tickets
Nunes had worked at the former Savas Liquors in Lakeville, located about 40 miles south of Boston. In January 2023, customer Paul Little came in to buy two quick picks for the Mega Millions lottery and two for the Mass Cash lottery. Both of these tickets were left behind on the counter where Nunes was working.
An investigation by the lottery commission revealed that Nunes had found the tickets 45 minutes later and took them out of the tray. That evening, one of the tickets matched the winning numbers of the Mega Millions draw, earning a $3 million prize.
Two days after the tickets were found, another employee, Joseph Reddem, drove Nunes and her boyfriend to Dorchester to collect the prize.
The suspected damage to the ticket, along with a conversation between Nunes and Reddem in the lobby, piqued the interest of lottery officials. Reddem was demanding half the jackpot, while Nunes was only willing to pay him $200K, according to prosecutors.
Unaware Winner
Nunes claimed that she had purchased the ticket after finishing her shift and accidentally tore it while removing it from her wallet, causing the burn marks.
Video footage from the store showed that Little was the actual winner. Lottery investigators tracked him down a month later after canvassing the Lakeville area with screenshots from the surveillance video.
Little had searched for his tickets at home but could not find them. He was unaware of his winnings until informed by lottery officials.
Reddem has also been charged and has pleaded not guilty to one count of attempted extortion, said the district attorney's office.
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Source: www.casino.org
