Walmart worker accused of stealing winning $2,700 lottery ticket in Florida

A Walmart Neighborhood Market cashier in DeLand faces felony grand theft charges after taking a customer’s winning $2,700 Florida Lottery ticket instead of returning it at checkout.

The encounter happened at the South Woodland Boulevard store on June 14, 2026, when an elderly customer came in to cash a ticket after saying he plays the same numbers every day. The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office affidavit says cashier Tameka Hall, 40, verified that the ticket was a winner but told the man the amount was too large to pay out on-site. Police said she gave him claim instructions, but the original ticket never made it back to the customer, who later returned after realizing it was missing.

Store management reviewed surveillance video. The footage showed Hall folding the ticket and placing it in her uniform vest pocket before she left work. Deputies later said Hall told them she had planned to give the ticket to a manager and did not understand that the customer needed the original ticket to claim the prize. Officers then recovered the ticket from Hall’s car, where it was found among personal documents and receipts.

Hall was arrested June 15 and booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail on a grand theft charge tied to property valued between $750 and $5,000. Walmart confirmed she is no longer employed by the company and declined further comment.

Florida Lottery prizes of $600 or more require identification and completion of claim forms, and the original ticket is required to collect the money. Oscar Acosta, a local lottery expert, advised winners to sign and protect their tickets.