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South Carolina Man Allegedly Stole Lottery Tickets During Gas Station Job Interview

By jili tutorial · September 8, 2026

Overview: A Job Interview Turns Into a Theft Investigation

On May 5, 2025, what began as a routine job interview at a Florence County gas station quickly escalated into a major lottery fraud case. Antonio Levon Ricardo Stewart, a 36-year-old man from Florence, South Carolina, allegedly stole a pack of scratch-off lottery tickets during his employment screening at a Murphy USA location. Later that same day, he attempted to cash the winning tickets at three different gas stations along Irby Street, a main thoroughfare in Florence. The South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) has charged Stewart with three counts of intent to defraud the state lottery—felonies that carry severe penalties, including years in prison and permanent disqualification from playing the lottery.

This incident highlights the layers of security that state-run lotteries use to protect their games, the legal consequences of stealing lottery tickets, and the importance of retailer vigilance. Below, we break down the case, the security measures involved, and the legal framework that governs such crimes.

The Incident: How the Alleged Theft Unfolded

The Job Interview and the Stolen Pack

According to a SLED release and accompanying arrest warrants, Stewart applied for a position at Murphy USA, a gas station and convenience store located at 2010 S. Irby Street in Florence County. He was invited for an in-person interview on May 5, 2025. During the interview process, prosecutors allege that Stewart stole a pack of scratch-off tickets from the South Carolina Education Lottery — tickets that were intended for sale to the public.

The Redemption Attempts

Later that day, Stewart attempted to cash in the winning scratchers at three separate gas stations, all along Irby Street:

The fact that some tickets were rejected while others were accepted underscores the patchwork of security protocols at different retailers. It also shows that even a single successful redemption can trigger a chain of detection.

The Role of the Authorized Retailer

The chain of events began when Stewart applied for a job at a Murphy USA location. The store is an authorized retailer of the South Carolina Education Lottery, which has more than 4,000 retailers across the state. Sales of lottery tickets are permitted using debit cards and cash. However, the theft occurred during the interview itself—a time when the applicant would have had access to the ticket inventory, perhaps without the same level of supervision as a regular employee.

How Lottery Security Works: Layers of Protection

Pack Activation and Tracking

South Carolina’s lottery system is designed to thwart theft. Every physical pack of scratch-off tickets is shipped from the lottery commission to a retailer with a unique barcode. The retailer must scan the pack to report it as “received” in the state’s system. Then, to make the tickets available for sale, the retailer activates the pack by scanning the brick’s barcode. This activation step is critical: until a ticket is activated, it cannot be scanned as a valid winning ticket.

Electronic Logs and Surveillance

Retailers are required to maintain shift and sales logs, which are now handled electronically. This means every transaction is recorded in real time, making it easier to trace a stolen ticket back to a specific pack. Additionally, most gas stations and convenience stores that sell lottery tickets have video surveillance systems. The combination of electronic logs and video footage makes it nearly impossible to steal tickets without leaving a digital and visual trail.

The Lottery’s 24-Hour Hotline

The South Carolina Education Lottery maintains a 24-hour hotline for retailers to report stolen or missing tickets. This rapid reporting system enables the lottery to immediately flag the serial numbers of the stolen tickets. When a cashier later scans a flagged ticket, the system will refuse to honor it, even if the ticket appears to be a genuine winner. This is exactly what happened at the Refuel station, where the scanner rejected the tickets because the pack had not been activated.

A Real-World Example: The Case of the Rejected Tickets

In this incident, the rejected tickets at Refuel were a direct result of the activation process. Because the pack had not been scanned as “received” or “activated” by the retailer, the system had no record of those tickets ever existing. When the cashier tried to redeem them, the scanner returned an error code. By contrast, the tickets accepted at Carolina C Store and Friendly Neighbor may have been from packs that were activated, but the system later caught the discrepancy through other means—such as the retailer’s internal logs or a report from the lottery’s hotline.

The Three Counts of Intent to Defraud

Stewart has been charged with three counts of intent to defraud the state lottery. Each count is a felony violation under South Carolina Code. The penalties are severe:

Permanent Disqualification from Lottery Prizes

South Carolina law explicitly states that anyone convicted of a violation of Section 59-150-260 “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.” This means that even if the stolen tickets had contained a million-dollar jackpot, Stewart would never be able to claim it. The law treats lottery theft as a breach of the public trust and a serious financial crime.

Booking and Next Steps

Stewart was booked into the Florence County Detention Center. He will face a court hearing where the evidence—including video footage, electronic logs, and witness testimony—will be presented. If convicted, he could face a total of 15 years in prison (three counts at five years each) and fines up to $150,000, though sentencing may be concurrent or consecutive depending on the judge’s discretion.

Context: Why Stealing Lottery Tickets Is a Bad Bet

The Unbreakable Security Chain

Lottery theft is not a victimless crime and rarely succeeds. The South Carolina Education Lottery, like all state-run lotteries, uses a multi-layered security system:

A Cautionary Tale for Job Applicants

This case also serves as a warning for anyone considering opportunistic theft during a job interview. The interview environment is often monitored, and the applicant quickly becomes a prime suspect. In this instance, the theft occurred during the interview itself, and the subsequent redemption attempts were caught within hours.

The Broader Impact on Retailers

For authorized lottery retailers, this incident underscores the importance of securing lottery inventory. Theft can lead to fines, loss of license, and reputational damage. Many retailers now require employees to follow strict procedures for handling unactivated tickets, such as keeping them in locked drawers or behind the counter.

Conclusion: A Case That Highlights the System’s Strength

The arrest of Antonio Levon Ricardo Stewart is a textbook example of how lottery security protocols work. The combination of pack activation, electronic logs, and retailer surveillance enabled law enforcement to trace the stolen tickets from the interview room to three different gas stations. While the case is still pending, it sends a clear message: stealing lottery tickets is a high-risk, low-reward crime that carries severe legal and financial consequences.

Key Takeaways