Store Clerk Charged in Lottery Ticket Theft

A 25-year-old Lexington woman was charged Wednesday with defrauding the South Carolina Education Lottery by cashing in stolen lottery tickets worth more than $2,000, according to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.

Jessica Leigh Shealy Peralta, of 3233 Emanuel Church Road, Lexington, turned herself in on Wednesday and was charged with eight counts of defrauding the South Carolina Education Lottery.

Peralta allegedly stole more than 200 lottery tickets while she was employed as a clerk at the at 658 Two Notch Road in Lexington.

Arrest warrants allege that on July 16, Peralta cashed in 226 lottery tickets, worth a total of $2,260. Peralta allegedly cashed in the tickets herself while operating a cash register at the convenience store. 

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Peralta is being held at the Lexington County Detention Center while awaiting a bond hearing.

Under South Carolina law, defrauding the South Carolina Education Lottery is a felony, which carries a maximum punishment of five years in prison and a $50,000 fine, according to the sheriff’s department.