A Tennessee gas station clerk was allegedly caught on surveillance video stealing a customer’s $1 million-winning lottery ticket — after lying and telling the winner they had lost.
The unidentified winner bought two $20 Diamond and Gold scratch-off tickets from 23-year-old staffer Meet Patel at a Shell station in Murfreesboro and handed him back the tickets to check, according to Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department.
Patel returned one of the winning tickets along with a $40 prize — while ignoring the fact that the other one had won $1 million, Lt. Detective Steve Craig told News Channel 5.
“He threw it on top of the trash,” Craig said of Patel, who then “took the trash outside” as the winner left. “If you follow him on the camera you can see him grab the ticket and put it in his pocket.”
Patel later “went to the Tennessee Lottery commission to claim the ticket as his own,” Craig said.
“Through their normal line of questioning, there were enough red flags” for them to investigate — easily finding the surveillance footage, the officer said.
That made it “pretty obvious” what Patel had done, Craig told the outlet with a chuckle.
“It’s pretty obvious. Good enough for me to put in front of 12 jurors and make sure that they all come to the same conclusion.”
The rightful winner, a father from Antioch, Tenn., will now finally get be his $1 million jackpot.
Patel is being held in the Rutherford County Jail on $100,000 bond accused of stealing th winnings, a Class A felony.
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