Local

Youngstown woman accused of stealing $9,600 in cash from fraudulent Ohio lottery transactions

By Staff report
(Facebook | Boardman Township Police Department)
(Facebook | Boardman Township Police Department)

A 51-year-old Youngstown woman is being held on a fourth-degree theft felony charge after she was accused of stealing at least $9,600 in cash from fraudulent Ohio Lottery transactions while she worked at a Boardman grocery store in late 2022 and early 2023, according to a Boardman police report.

Reports show Tonya M. Payne, 51, of Tyrell Avenue, Youngstown, was picked up by Lake Milton police on April 4 on an active warrant through Boardman’s detective division. Payne was taken to Mahoning County jail awaiting her arraignment at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday April 9 before Judge Joseph Houser in Mahoning County Court in Boardman.

Reports show that Payne was questioned in January 2023 at the Boardman-Canfield Road grocery after the store manager and Ohio Lottery sales representative had spotted irregularities in financial records.

According to the report, Payne was accused of cashing out an unusual amount of winning Ohio lottery tickets.

After a further audit of the records, the report stated it was discovered the winning lottery tickets did not actually exist, and Payne was ringing out non-existent tickets to make it appear as her cash drawer was balancing at the end of each work day.

According to reports, Payne was confronted about the irregularities by her bosses on Jan. 5, 2023, the report stated and she admitted to doing this act for a whole year, taking an estimated $2,000 to $3,000. An audit of the lottery transactions, according to report, found Payne had stolen at least $9,600. The thefts were not captured on video surveillance because the system over writes itself every two days, the report stated.

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