A convenience store worker in Ohio faces felony charges after printing hundreds of unauthorized tickets. According to reports, the man had learned how to print Keno tickets without paying and used that to pay his bills.
The Man Had Learned to Exploit the Lottery Terminal
The man involved in this printing of tickets was identified as Joshua Melvin Hartley of Cleveland. The 32-year-old worked at a Sheetz convenience store in the Solon suburb and had apparently learned how to use an obscure lottery terminal function that effectively allowed him to print Keno tickets without paying a cent.
With this knowledge, Hartley printed himself hundreds of Keno tickets over the course of two months. Reports put the sum of the tickets he printed at $17,000. It should be noted that this refers to the price of the tickets and not the sums they actually won.
Hartley’s motivation seems to have been paying off bills.
Supervisors Noticed the Unusual Losses
Sheetz’s management learned of the scam roughly two months later when a loss prevention supervisor noticed the unusual losses. The store teamed up with the Ohio Lottery Commission, which allowed them to uncover the suspicious activity.
After checking the dates when the transactions happened, store managers determined that all of them occurred when Hartley was on shift. Managers then checked footage, which showed Hartley using the lottery terminal to print dozens of Keno tickets without paying.
Police representatives commented on the matter, saying that, as of the time of this writing, it is unclear where Hartley learned how to abuse the lottery terminals. They added that it was possible that he was able to figure it out on his own.
In any case, Hartley admitted to the scheme when confronted by the police. Authorities arrested him and seized $2,000. They plan on securing court-ordered forfeiture and returning the money to Sheetz.
In the meantime, Hartley was booked at Solon Jail after his arrest. He now faces a fourth-degree felony theft charge.
