Man brought lottery tickets to where he worked, SC cops say. He was arrested

A man was recently arrested after he cashed in winning lottery tickets, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. The scratch-off tickets had been stolen, SLED said in a news release.

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On Aug. 26, John Franklin Koon Jr., a 47-year-old Piedmont resident, was charged with intent to defraud, counterfeit game tickets, according to the release.

Koon stole lottery tickets from the Stop-A-Minit Store at 1001 West Georgia Road in the Simpsonville area of Greenville County, where he worked, an arrest warrant shows. On July 1, Koon tried to redeem the scratch-off tickets at the same gas station/convenience store “without rendering payment,” an arrest warrant said.

Koon was identified by store staff and recorded by surveillance cameras, according to the arrest warrant.

Information about the number of tickets that were passed and the amount of prize money that was received for the stolen games was not available.

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Koon was booked into the Greenville County Detention Center, SLED said.

A day after Koon was arrested, a $5,000 surety bond was posted, Greenville County court records show.

Koon will be prosecuted by the 13th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

If convicted on the felony charge, Koon faces a maximum punishment of 5 years in prison and a $50,000 fine, according to South Carolina law.

The SLED investigation was requested by South Carolina Education Lottery.