South Carolina Authorities Charge Man with Three Felony Counts After Alleged Lottery Ticket Theft in Job Interview
TL;DR — Antonio Levon Ricardo Stewart faces three felony counts after allegedly stealing scratch-off tickets during a May 5, 2025 job interview at Murphy USA and attempting redemptions at three Florence gas stations. One $5 ticket succeeded before unactivated-pack scans triggered rejection. The matter highlights South Carolina Education Lottery tracking, surveillance, and hotline protocols.
SCCG Take — This prosecution demonstrates how activation logging and video systems convert attempted insider theft into detectable felonies with five-year penalties and lifetime bans. Lottery operators should audit retailer compliance to sustain these layered controls.
South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division has charged Antonio Levon Ricardo Stewart with three counts of intent to defraud the state lottery. The 36-year-old from Florence County allegedly stole a pack of scratch-off tickets during a job interview at a Murphy USA gas station and later attempted to redeem winning tickets at three nearby locations.
The incident occurred on May 5, 2025, at the Murphy USA store located at 2010 S. Irby Street. Stewart had applied for a position and was invited for an in-person screening. Prosecutors allege he took the unactivated pack of South Carolina Education Lottery scratchers during that process.
Incident Details and Redemption Attempts
Later the same day, Stewart tried to cash winning scratchers at three gas stations along Irby Street, a main thoroughfare in Florence that intersects with Highway 76. Two tickets passed to a cashier at the Carolina C Store and three tickets handed over at a Refuel were rejected after scans showed that they came from a pack that hadn’t been activated by a retailer. Still, a $5 ticket was fraudulently redeemed at the Friendly Neighbor gas station, according to reporting by Casino.org.
SLED investigators traced the activity through arrest warrants that detail the sequence. All three gas stations are authorized lottery retailers.
Lottery Security Layers and Felony Penalties
South Carolina lottery systems require retailers to scan packs upon receipt to log them as received. Activation occurs only after scanning each brick’s barcode, after which tickets can be loaded into dispensers. The state maintains more than 4,000 retailers and requires electronic shift and sales logs. Most locations use video surveillance, and the lottery operates a 24-hour hotline for reporting stolen or missing tickets.
Each felony count of intent to defraud carries up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000. Conviction would also make Stewart permanently ineligible for lottery prizes or commission employment under South Carolina Code 59-150-260, which states that a person convicted “must not be the recipient of an award of a lottery prize or a portion of a lottery prize, and is ineligible for employment by the commission.”
Stewart was booked into the Florence County Detention Center. The case shows how quickly redemption attempts trigger detection when tickets lack proper activation.
Reporting: Casino.org News
Generated by SCCG’s automated editorial system from published source reporting. SCCG Management holds editorial responsibility.
Activation logs and video systems turned an inside-job attempt into three felonies with five-year exposure and lifetime bans.
We've helped lottery vendors and retailers tighten compliance and fraud protocols across 545+ partnerships. This case proves that layered controls — activation logs, scan rejection, video, and hotlines — work, but only if retailers execute them consistently at the counter every shift.
- Three felony counts after unactivated pack triggered scan rejection at two Florence gas stations
- One $5 fraudulent redemption succeeded before tracking caught remaining tickets
- Up to five years and $50,000 per count; lifetime lottery ban if convicted
SCCG angle: SCCG connects lottery technology providers, POS vendors, and retail compliance consultants across every regulated U.S. market. When activation gaps or training issues surface, we broker the right partners to audit retailer workflows, upgrade scan protocols, and reduce shrink before it becomes a headline.
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