Illinois Lottery Employee Stole Tickets, Redeemed Winners For Cash: AG

ILLINOIS — A Springfield man faces several felonies after he was charged by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who alleges that the Illinois Lottery employee stole books of tickets and then redeemed the winning tickets for money.

Dean F. Derrick, 57, faces four counts of theft of government property greater than $500 but less than $10,000 along with seven counts of official misconduct, Raoul said. Derrick, who also faces wire fraud charges, turned himself in to police on Wednesday after a warrant was issued for his arrest, Raoul announced on Thursday.

A second man, Frazier R. Mack, 24, Springfield, was also charged with theft of government property after Raoul said he redeemed winning tickets for money after being given books of lottery tickets by Derrick.

Both men are due back in court on March 30 after bond was set for them at $15,000.

“State employees are charged with carrying out the work of the public. That trust is broken when an individual seeks to personally profit from their position,” Raoul said in a news release. “I appreciate the partnerships of both the Illinois State Police and the Illinois Lottery in this investigation, and I will continue working to hold public employees accountable for abusing their positions and taking advantage of the public.”

Raoul said Derrick stole books of instant lottery tickets from retailers over a month’s time in 2022 while working in his official capacity as a sales representative for the Illinois Lottery. Derrick removed certain books, which he then took to separate retailers to redeem for prize money, Raoul said.

Derrick gave a number of stolen winning tickets to Mack, who also redeemed the winning tickets, according to the criminal complaint.

“The Department of the Lottery collaborated closely with authorities as soon as we became aware of the matter,” Illinois Lottery Director Harold Mays said in the news release. “Our dedicated sales representatives are entrusted with safeguarding instant tickets in their possession, and they take that work very seriously. Allegations of this nature are extremely rare, and we work closely with authorities to investigate and prosecute any such issues.”