U.S. Postal Worker Snatches Winning Florida Lottery Ticket

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A Florida postal worker is facing charges after investigators say she stole a winning lottery ticket from the mail and cashed it herself.

Authorities say 28-year-old Lakaysha Lockhart worked at a post office in Oakland Park when a Tampa-area woman mailed a winning Pick 4 ticket worth $2,600 to a relative in South Florida.

When the ticket never arrived, police launched an investigation and discovered it had already been redeemed at a Florida Lottery office in Miami Lakes.

Investigators allege Lockhart used her access as a postal employee to steal the ticket before claiming the winnings.

She now faces multiple charges, including grand theft, petty theft, possession of stolen mail and using a communication device to facilitate a felony. Lockhart has since bonded out of jail.

Postal inspectors are asking anyone who suspects mail-related fraud or theft to report it.

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