A Chicago Board of Options Exchange clerk who is alleged to have withheld a winning Mega Millions lottery ticket worth $175,000 from 16 of her co-workers was arrested by Chicago police Tuesday.
Accompanied by an attorney, the 44-year-old woman turned herself in to Area 4 detectives but declined to make any statements, according to Detective Cleveland Thomas. No charges have been filed.
According to police, the woman entered A&B Tobacco, 400 S. State St., on Dec. 31 holding $163 worth of lottery tickets and began to check them for winners. A few of the tickets were minor winners, worth about $17.
But one of the tickets struck it big: It was worth $175,000.
The store’s owner, Birju Shah, told police the woman signed the ticket and left. Later that day, Thomas said, the CBOE clerk and one of her bosses, Richard Tobin, arrived at the A&B.
Shah told Tobin the story of how the clerk had discovered and signed the winning ticket.
The clerk told Tobin and Shah she didn’t know where the winning ticket was and that it must have been lost, Thomas said.
Later that day, Tobin and another co-worker, Richard Lakawalle, filed a complaint with Chicago police, alleging that the clerk has misappropriated the winning lottery ticket.
Illinois Lottery spokeswoman Anne Plohr said Tuesday the prize has not been claimed.
