Sacramento Area Local News

Lottery Sting Exposes Store Clerk Scam

Reporting
Mike Dello Stritto

YUBA CITY (CBS13) ―

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From behind the counter to behind bars, a lottery sting cornered crooked clerks in California. The undercover operation hit a Yuba City store and resulted in the owner and his son being arrested.

Lottery cops just chose stores at random to go into. In Yuba City, they stopped at Harry's Liquor. Undercover agents went through the doors and nabbed their suspect.

"Our undercover officer had a $1000 winning ticket," said Helen Brean, lottery investigator.

Undercover and under surveillance, the cop hands the ticket to the clerk asking if it's a winner.

"That person said the ticket was not a winning ticket and kept the tickets," said Brean.

The owner of Harry's Liquor is accused in the plot to pluck and pocket the winning ticket and the $1,000 that came with it.

"He confessed to what he did and we placed him under arrest," said Brean.

Jayvaden Patel and his son Hardeek were arrested for attempted grand theft.

"It surprises me a lot. I come to this store all the time. I thought they were pretty good people," said one store customer.

Harry's Liquor wasn't alone, because investigators hit stores in several cities from Marysville and Yuba City up to Oroville and Chico.

"We made two arrests in the Yuba City area. We made four arrests in the Redding area with one outstanding," said Brean.

At least seven arrests will be made before the lottery's latest larceny operation is over. The suspects thought they were winners, but the lottery cops call them the real losers. Now they face felony charges and prison time if convicted.

It's easy to not be a victim. Sign your name on the ticket and use scanners at the store -- that way you'll know if you're a winner or not.

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