A Hialeah husband and wife who ran a $236,000 scheme to steal Florida Lottery tickets have been arrested, police said.
Ana Lilian Ramirez, 29, and Roberto Montes, 31, were arrested Thursday on charges including grand theft, organized fraud and organized scheme to defraud, Miami-Dade County jail records showed.
Hialeah Police said Ramirez had been working as a cashier at Aries Supermarket at 5945 West 25th Court, and that she and Montes spent several months defrauding the supermarket and Florida Lottery.
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During that time, Ramirez stole over 343 lottery scratch off books, the equivalent of some 28,000 lottery tickets worth about $216,000, officials said.
Ramirez and Montes later cashed multiple winning scratch off lottery tickets at the Florida Lottery Office, authorities said.
The total losses to the supermarket and Florida Lottery totaled around $236,000, authorities said.
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Ramirez and Montes were booked into jail Thursday, but Ramirez bonded out later in the evening. She told NBC 6 as she walked out of jail that she had no comment on the charges. Attorney information wasn't available.
“The Lottery's very existence and mission is predicated on the public's trust, confidence, and transparency in our operations; as such, we have a zero-tolerance policy for fraudulent activity," the Florida Lottery said in a statement Friday. "The Lottery’s Division of Security conducts ongoing, proactive integrity efforts to heighten awareness around security and works diligently to identify and take swift action against any dishonest behavior."
