Florida mail carrier arrested for stealing and cashing a winning lottery ticket

A Miami-Dade postal worker, Lekaysha Lockhart, was taken into custody after allegedly pilfering a winning Pick 4 lottery ticket from the mail and redeeming it herself.

Lekaysha Lockhart, a United States Postal Service letter carrier in Miami-Dade County, was arrested on July 23 after a Florida Lottery player reported that a winning Pick 4 ticket mailed to the lottery never reached its destination. A lottery inspector discovered that the ticket had been redeemed by Lockhart on June 19 at the Miami District Office. Following her arrest, Florida Lottery Special Agents and investigators from the USPS Office of Inspector General said Lockhart admitted to stealing the ticket and filing a false claim for the prize.

Florida Lottery Secretary Reginald D. Dixon highlighted the agency’s commitment to safeguarding players and praised the collaborative effort with the Postal Service and Broward County Sheriff’s Office. Lockhart is charged with grand theft, dealing in stolen property, filing a false claim for payment, two counts of unlawful use of a two-way communications device, and mail theft. Because the alleged offenses span multiple judicial circuits, the prosecutions will proceed separately. The incident illustrates the vigilance of lottery security and law-enforcement partners in protecting the integrity of state games.