These ‘winnings’ could end up costing years in jail

A Columbia UPS driver and friend were charged by SLED Thursday after several packs of state lottery tickets shipped to a Lancaster, SC, convenience store were stolen and winning tickets totaling less than $500 were cashed in.

The UPS driver, Alberto Gutierrez, III, 24, and D. Maurias Levon Hunter, 24, both of Columbia, were charged with conspiracy, intent to defraud the state lottery, and in the driver’s case, breach of trust.

On April 4 and 5, 2016, 8 packs of lottery tickets worth a total of $2,400 were stolen from a larger package of 14 ticket packs addressed to the Crenco Food Store on Main Street in Lancaster, SC., arrest warrants stated.

On April 5, winning tickets were cashed in at 3 convenience stores in Richland County: A $15.00 winner at the City Fuel and Food on Bush River Road; a winner at the Gaz Bah on St. Andrews Road; and, 16 tickets totaling $450.00 at the Speedway on Broad River Road.

The warrants state that surveillance video recorded the transactions by Gutierrez and Hunter.

So for winnings totaling $465.00, each man, if convicted, could face more than 2 decades in jail.

Gutierrez and Hunter were being held at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center Thursday night.

This story was originally published June 9, 2016 at 7:54 PM with the headline "These ‘winnings’ could end up costing years in jail."