OAKLAND PARK, Fla. (WPLG) – A United States Postal Service employee is facing criminal charges after authorities say she stole a winning lottery ticket from the mail and fraudulently claimed the prize.
Investigators identified the worker as 28-year-old Lakaysha Lockhart, a USPS employee assigned to a post office in Oakland Park.
A Tampa-area woman won $2,600 on a Pick 4 lottery ticket and decided to gift the winnings to a relative in South Florida. She mailed the unclaimed ticket through the Postal Service.
More than a week passed and the ticket never arrived. The victim contacted police, triggering an investigation.
Detectives determined the lottery prize had been redeemed at a Florida Lottery field office in Miami Lakes — just five days after the initial drawing.
Authorities say Lockhart presented the ticket and collected the cash, using her position within the post office and high-tech equipment to take the prize.
Lockhart faces charges of grand theft, a series of petty theft charges, possession of stolen mail, and using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony. Records show she has already bonded out of jail.
Postal inspectors are urging the community to report suspected fraudulent acts within the postal system.
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