A Winn-Dixie employee stole hundreds of lottery scratch-off tickets and cashed in on nearly $40,000 in winnings, according to Palm Beach Gardens police.
Officers say Essie Latrell Davis, 45, of West Palm Beach, took more than 400 tickets from the store’s lottery display and more than 500 others from a safe in the manager’s office at the Winn-Dixie in Gardens Park Plaza, which closed in April.
Arrested June 23, Davis faces up to 30 years in prison on charges of grand theft over $20,000 and organized fraud. She is represented by the Public Defender’s Office, which, as a practice, doesn’t comment on open cases.
According to court records, Davis scanned the tickets using a Florida Lottery app on her phone, kept the winners and threw away the losers. Police say Davis won more than $39,000 between July and September.
Regional manager Edwardson Sabinay told officers he spotted the theft while reviewing surveillance-camera footage in July, after a store manager flagged a shortage of lottery tickets. When Sabinay brought Davis into the manager’s office on Sept. 17, she told him “do what you have to do” and ran from the store, leaving her cell phone behind.
Circuit Judge Donald Hafele set bond at $20,000 per count and ordered Davis to have no contact with any Winn-Dixie or Publix stores. Her next court date is July 23.
Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. Reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Winn-Dixie worker stole scratch-offs and won $39K, Gardens police say
Reporting by Hannah Phillips, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Hannah Phillips, Palm Beach Post | USA TODAY Network
