Two women from the Stratford area have been arrested after cashing a $50,000 lottery ticket stolen last year, according to the Ontario Provincial Police.
The OPP said they were contacted by Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation about a suspicious win in the town of Mitchell.
According to a release, the jackpot winning ticket was stolen by a store employee from Mitchell who then passed it along to an accomplice from Stratford to be claimed.
A spokesperson from the OPP confirmed that the ticket was stolen from the store.
A 44-year-old woman from Mitchell and a 51-year-old Stratford woman were arrested and have been charged with fraud over $5,000 and possession of stolen property over $5,000.
In addition, the woman from Mitchell has also been charged with theft over $5,000.
A spokesperson for the OLG said the lottery agency could not speak to the case as it was before the courts.
“However, OLG has zero tolerance for illegal activities involving our lottery games,” Tony Botonti said in an mail.
“All prize claims over $1000 go through our Prize Claim Review process. This is where we are able to determine the rightful owner of the winning ticket.”
He noted that at that stage that staff will attempt to detect any issues surrounding a prize claim.
“On the rare occasion that there is a question about the rightful ownership of a winning ticket, then the prize claim undergoes further review and if needed we get the OPP Investigation and Enforcement Bureau attached to the AGCO involved,” Bitonti noted.