JACKSON -- A Jackson woman fired from her job at SuperAmerica last May has being charged with theft and state lottery fraud in Jackson County District Court.
Julie Lynn Andrews, 46, is accused of voiding sales and using the cash from customers to purchase lottery tickets from the store. The criminal complaint states the loss in merchandise is $2,877, the loss in stolen lottery tickets is $667 and the loss in state lottery winnings claimed is $409.
Between the two felony charges, Andrews faces a maximum combined penalty of 15 years incarceration and/or $60,000 in fines.
The complaint states Andrews worked at the store for a little more than a year before being fired because of the thefts. The vice president of Vet's Oil Company reported the alleged employee theft to authorities in May 2007, several days after Andrews had been fired.
The vice president said she had noticed cash shortages the previous months and had reviewed the store's electronic journal logs to see their origin. In viewing the logs and surveillance tapes, she observed Andrews allegedly voiding sales that were actual sales and pocketing the money or using the cash to pay for tickets she scratched when no one was around.
ADVERTISEMENT
If the tickets were winners, Andrews would allegedly cash them in and pocket the money. Non-winners were thown away.
The vice president said there was no shortage for the lottery tickets when inventory was taken because Andrews used the floating money in the till to pay for the tickets she was allegedly taking. Company policy dictates employees are not allowed to play lottery scratch games while working.
Cooperation from state lottery officials helped verify ticket numbers and prize winnings.
