A 57-year-old man and Illinois Department of Lottery employee is facing several felony charges after he allegedly stole winning lottery tickets and redeemed them for cash, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced.
Additionally, a 24-year-old Springfield man was charged in connection with allegedly redeeming the stolen tickets.
Dean F. Derrick faces the following charges:
- Four counts of theft of governmental property between $500 and $10,000, Class 2 felonies
- Seven counts of official misconduct, Class 3 felonies
- Three counts of wire fraud, Class 3 felonies
Derrick's bond has been set at $15,000, and he is set to appear in court on March 30.
Derrick allegedly stole books of instant lottery tickets from retailers while working as a lottery sales representative. According to Raoul's office, Derrick removed certain books and later took them to a separate retailer to redeem for prize money.
Frazier R. Mack, 24, was charged with two counts of theft of governmental property between $500 and $10,000. Mack's bond was also set at $15,000, and he is also scheduled to appear in court on March 30.
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Derrick allegedly had given a number of the stolen winning tickets to Mack, who also redeemed them for cash.
Raoul's office said the actions occurred in March and April of last year.
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“The Department of the Lottery collaborated closely with authorities as soon as we became aware of the matter. Our dedicated sales representatives are entrusted with safeguarding instant tickets in their possession, and they take that work very seriously. Allegations of this nature are extremely rare, and we work closely with authorities to investigate and prosecute any such issues," the Illinois Department of Lottery said in a statement.
There is currently no further information.
