A woman who recently claimed a $5 million Texas Lottery scratch-off prize has been arrested this week after her former employer claimed she stole it from his store.
Arthurica Jackson of Hearne, Texas, was charged with felony theft and fraud on November 18. That came two weeks after she claimed a $5 million winning Luxe scratchcard at the Texas Lottery Commission headquarters in Austin, Texas.
Shortly after claiming the prize, the owner of the QuickPump Market in Hearne, Texas, contacted the Lottery, saying he was concerned that his former employee may have stolen large amounts of scratch-off tickets from his store.
Police suspect this was Jackson, and began the investigation which led to her arrest.
The Incident
It was November 4 when Jackson claimed the winning ticket at the Texas Lottery headquarters. However, within a week of her walking away a millionaire, her former employer contacted the Texas Lottery, claiming the ticket may have been stolen.
Ahamed Shaik said he fired Jackson after allegedly seeing her steal dozens of lottery scratch-off tickets from his Quick Pump Store in Hearne, Texas, about 80 miles northeast of Austin.
Jackson had only been in the role for four days. When he heard the news of her big win, he became suspicious and contacted the lottery. That sparked the investigation which led to her eventual arrest.
Police reports released to local media said investigators had seen the footage of a person they believe to be Jackson stealing multiple scratch-off tickets from the store days before she claimed the winning ticket.
The Charges
Jackson paid the $300,000 bail set for her in the alleged $5 million lottery fraud case. The court has yet to set a date for her next appearance.
Felony charges of theft of more than $300,000 or more carries the possibility of 99 years imprisonment in Texas, with a minimum of two years.
Although an alleged $5 million lottery theft is considerable by almost anyone’s standards, it’s far from the biggest controversial Texas Lottery win of the year.
That honor most definitely goes to the $95 million jackpot won by a consortium that bought up every single combination of numbers to basically guarantee the top prize.
Investigative journalists from the Houston Chronicle later revealed that the consortium was connected to two wealthy gamblers and gambling business investors from Europe.
While nothing conclusively illegal actually happened, the fallout resulted in an ongoing Texas state review of the Lottery Commission and its services.
David is an online casino expert who specializes in online slots and boasts over 10 years experience writing about iGaming. He has written for a wide range of notable publications, including eSports Insider and WordPlay Magazine.
David graduated Derby University with a BA Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing.
