USPS letter carrier accused of stealing winning Florida Lottery ticket from the mail

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A U.S. Postal Service employee has been arrested for allegedly stealing a winning Florida Lottery ticket from the mail and fraudulently claiming the prize.

A joint investigation by the Florida Lottery Division of Security and the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General led to the arrest of Lekaysha Lockhart, a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier, according to a press release.

The case started when a Florida Lottery player reported that a winning Pick 4 ticket she mailed through the U.S. Postal Service never arrived at its destination.

A Florida Lottery Inspector found that the ticket had been redeemed on June 19 at the Florida Lottery's Miami District Office by Lockhart.

Florida Lottery Special Agents and USPS OIG investigators then teamed up and arrested Lockhart on July 23.

After her arrest, Lockhart admitted to stealing the winning ticket and redeeming it at the Miami District Office.

"Our players deserve confidence that every Lottery prize is protected through strong security measures and diligent oversight," Florida Lottery Secretary Reginald D. Dixon said. "I commend our Division of Security for their outstanding investigative work and thank our partners at the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General and the Broward County Sheriff's Office for their collaboration in protecting the integrity of Florida Lottery games and bringing this case to a successful resolution."

Lockhart now faces several charges including grand theft, dealing in stolen property, filing a false claim for payment, two counts of unlawful use of a two-way communications device and mail theft.

Because the alleged offenses happened across multiple judicial circuits, the cases will be prosecuted separately.