Florida Walmart Cashier Arrested After Allegedly Pocketing Elderly Customer's Winning Lottery Ticket
A Florida Walmart cashier is facing a felony charge after she allegedly pocketed a winning lottery ticket belonging to an elderly customer — then left work with it still in her pocket.
Tameka Hall, 40, was arrested June 15 and charged with grand theft after an incident at a Walmart Neighborhood Market on South Woodland Boulevard in DeLand, Florida, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
What Happened
On the morning of June 14, an elderly male customer came into the store to claim a $2,700 Florida Lottery prize. Hall, who was working as a cashier at the lottery counter, verified the ticket was a winner but told the customer the prize amount was too large for the store to pay out on-site. She gave him a receipt with instructions on where to collect his winnings.
What the customer didn't know was that Hall never gave him back the winning ticket. Surveillance footage reviewed by store management showed Hall folding the ticket and placing it into the left pocket of her uniform vest before the customer walked away.
Hours later, the man realized he didn't have his ticket and returned to the store. A store employee contacted the manager, who pulled the security footage. Investigators were called in.
'She Claimed She Was Distracted'
When deputies met with Hall inside Walmart's security office, she said she had been distracted by another customer during the transaction and placed the receipt in her pocket intending to give it to her manager later. She told investigators she was unaware the receipt was needed to claim the winnings and said she did not plan to keep it.
Deputies then accompanied Hall to her vehicle in the parking lot, where the winning lottery ticket was recovered. She was arrested and transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail. She was released the same day on a $2,500 bond. Her next court date is scheduled for July 9.
Walmart confirmed Hall is no longer employed by the company. The charges against her remain allegations unless proven in court.
The Customer Got His Ticket Back
The Volusia County Sheriff's Office later confirmed the lottery winner was able to retrieve his ticket and collect his prize.
Why the Receipt Matters
Florida Lottery rules require winners to present both the physical ticket and a validated claim receipt to collect prizes above a certain threshold. Without the receipt Hall allegedly kept, the customer had no way to claim his $2,700 winnings — which is why the missing document triggered a felony investigation rather than a simple misunderstanding.
Hall is charged with grand theft between $750 and $5,000 under Florida law.
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