Stolen Lottery Ticket Stories: When Winners Almost Lost Everything

A stolen lottery ticket is one of the few ways a life-changing prize can slip away in a single afternoon — and the cases that reach court show it happens more often than most players expect. In January 2023, a Massachusetts man walked out of a liquor store with a bag of chips and left $3 million sitting in the lottery tray. In July 2024, a Tennessee father handed a clerk two scratch tickets and was paid for the wrong one.

Here is the short answer readers usually want first: in most documented U.S. cases where a stolen lottery ticket was reported and investigated, the rightful player did eventually get paid. Surveillance video, ticket-scan records, and lottery security investigators make these thefts unusually traceable. But not every story ends that way, and one Texas man spent years in court trying to recover money that had already left the country.

Below are the verified cases, drawn from court records, prosecutors’ announcements, and reporting by CBS News, CNN, NBC News, The Boston Globe, and the Associated Press-affiliated local outlets that covered them. Names, dates, and dollar figures come from those records. Nothing here is dramatized.

The stolen lottery ticket that took four months to come home

On January 17, 2023, Paul Little of Lakeville, Massachusetts bought Mega Millions tickets at Lakeville Liquors & Market. As reported by CBS Boston and NBC10 Boston, he left the store with his snacks and left the tickets behind at the counter. That night, his numbers hit for $3 million on a Megaplier ticket.

Store clerk Carly Nunes went to Massachusetts State Lottery headquarters in Dorchester to claim the prize. Lottery officials grew suspicious and held the payment. The Lottery then spent weeks searching for the real player, including posting flyers around Lakeville.

Little was identified and, after an investigation that ran roughly four months, the Massachusetts State Lottery honored his claim and paid the $3 million prize. It is the clearest example in recent years of a stolen lottery ticket case ending with the original player made whole.

How the Massachusetts case unraveled in a lobby

According to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office, Nunes did not go to lottery headquarters alone. A co-worker, Joseph Reddem, drove her there. Prosecutors said the two were seen and heard arguing in the headquarters lobby over how much of the prize Reddem would receive — an exchange captured on security video and overheard by lottery staff.

Nunes was charged with larceny from a building, attempted larceny, presentation of a false claim, and witness intimidation. In February 2024, The Boston Globe reported she pleaded guilty in Brockton Superior Court to presentation of a false claim.

Prosecutors asked for one to two years in state prison. Judge William Sullivan instead sentenced her to two years of probation with drug screening and drug counseling. Reddem was separately charged in connection with attempting to extort money from Nunes.

A Tennessee stolen lottery ticket recovered in days

On July 13, 2024, a father from Antioch, Tennessee bought two scratch tickets at a Shell station on Greenland Drive in Murfreesboro. Both were winners: one for $40, one for $1 million. He handed both to the clerk.

As reported by CNN and NBC News, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office said the clerk paid him only the $40 and put the million-dollar ticket in the trash. Store video reviewed by Tennessee Lottery investigators showed the clerk retrieving it from the trash, pocketing it, and later celebrating in the store.

When he tried to claim the $1 million prize, Tennessee Lottery employees became suspicious of his account that he had found the ticket in the garbage. Meer Patel, 23, of Murfreesboro, was charged with theft of over $250,000. The customer was contacted by detectives, learned he had won, and collected the prize.

When a stolen lottery ticket is never fully recovered

Not every case resolves cleanly. Willis Willis of Grand Prairie, Texas bought a Mega Millions ticket worth $1 million. A convenience store employee, Pankaj Joshi, told him the ticket was worth $2, then cashed it himself and received roughly $750,000 before disappearing.

Joshi was charged with claiming a lottery prize by fraud and, as Houston-area outlets and Fox News reported, investigators believe he left for Nepal. Interpol issued a warrant. He has not been brought back to face the charge.

Willis sued the Texas Lottery Commission, the lottery’s operator, and the store owner. The commission’s position was that a prize may not be paid twice and that a lottery ticket is a bearer instrument. In 2012, the Austin American-Statesman reported that a judge ordered $395,000 in seized funds released to Willis, with roughly $300,000 more frozen in Nepal.

Why a lottery ticket is legally a bearer instrument

The Texas ruling turned on a rule that applies broadly across state lotteries: a ticket is a bearer instrument. State lottery agencies, including the Pennsylvania Lottery and the Louisiana Lottery Corporation, publish this on their player security pages — the lottery generally pays the person holding a valid winning ticket that is presented for payment.

That is why state lotteries also publish a standard recommendation: sign the back of the ticket at the time of purchase. The Iowa Lottery, Pennsylvania Lottery, and Louisiana Lottery all state that a signature helps establish who the ticket belongs to if it is lost or stolen.

These are program rules, not guarantees. How a specific stolen lottery ticket claim is handled depends on the individual state lottery’s regulations, its investigation, and any court proceedings. Anyone in that situation should contact their own state lottery and law enforcement directly.

How investigators catch a stolen lottery ticket

Lottery security units run their own cases. In Oregon, detectives with the Oregon State Police lottery security section ran an undercover check at a store in La Grande on September 19, 2024, presenting a winning ticket to a clerk who scanned it and said there were no winners.

A week later, on September 26, that employee mailed the ticket in to redeem a $25,000 prize. KTVZ reported the employee was cited for aggravated theft in the first degree and computer crime.

Ticket theft also happens without a clerk involved. In April 2025, the Colorado Attorney General’s Office announced grand jury charges against four people accused of stealing more than $150,000 in scratch tickets across at least 45 thefts from Front Range stores.

What winners can learn from these stolen lottery ticket cases

The record here is factual, not advisory. In the Massachusetts and Tennessee cases, the theft was discovered because the person presenting the ticket could not explain how they got it, and because lottery agencies held the payment while they investigated.

In both, video evidence existed and investigators used it. In the Texas case, the money had already been paid out and moved overseas before anyone knew a theft had occurred — and recovery came through seized funds, not a second payment from the lottery.

State lotteries have published the same guidance for years: tickets are bearer instruments, and lotteries encourage players to sign them. Every documented stolen lottery ticket prosecution above involved an unsigned ticket that changed hands at a store counter. What happens next in any individual case is determined by that state’s lottery rules and the courts, not by a general rule that applies everywhere.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the lottery pay you if your ticket is stolen?

It depends on the state and the facts. Massachusetts paid Paul Little his $3 million after investigating. Texas took the position that a prize may not be paid twice because a ticket is a bearer instrument. Contact your state lottery for your own situation.

Why do lotteries tell you to sign your ticket?

State lotteries including Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Louisiana say a signature helps show the ticket is yours if it is lost or stolen, since the lottery generally pays whoever presents a valid winning ticket.

What charges do people face for stealing a lottery ticket?

They vary by state. Documented charges include larceny, presentation of a false claim, and witness intimidation in Massachusetts; theft of over $250,000 in Tennessee; and aggravated theft and computer crime in Oregon.

How do lottery investigators prove a ticket was stolen?

In the cases above, investigators used store surveillance video, ticket-scan records at the retailer, and the claimant’s own statements at lottery headquarters. Some states also run undercover integrity checks on retailers.

Know the Rules Where You Live

Sweepstakes and prize rules change from state to state — what a sponsor can offer, how prizes are handled, and what protections you have. Pick your state to see the exact rules that apply where you live.

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Sources & How to Verify

The facts on this page are drawn from official government and primary sources. Rules and figures change, so always confirm the current details with the official agency or the promotion’s own published rules.

• FTC Consumer Advice: consumer.ftc.gov — prize, sweepstakes, and lottery scam guidance
• IRS: irs.gov — how prizes and winnings are treated as income
• Social Security Administration: ssa.gov — what SSI recipients must report
• The promotion’s official rules: every legitimate sweepstakes publishes them — the rules page is always the final word

Content last reviewed August 2026. If you notice outdated information, please contact us.

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Informational only — not legal, tax, or financial advice. Win Big Daily is an independent educational resource. Prize rules, tax treatment, and benefit-program requirements vary by state and program and change over time, so always verify the current details with the official agency, the promotion’s published rules, or a qualified professional before acting. If a topic involves government benefits, contact the program office about your specific situation.