The manager of a Miami convenience shop has been detained for stealing a huge number of Florida Lottery scratch-off tickets, according to authorities.
Rakesh Tanguturi, 34, was arrested Monday on accusations of organized fraud of $50,000 or more and grand theft, according to the arrest report.
According to the report, Tanguturi was the manager of Bargain Stop 2 at 249 Northwest 62nd Street.
Last month, the store’s owner reported an ongoing theft of Florida Lottery scratch-off tickets involving Tanguturi after discovering unusual financial activity involving thousands of dollars removed from the store’s bank account for lottery-related activities, according to the report.
The owner discovered scratch-off ticket books had been stolen and contacted Tanguturi, who denied any connection or wrongdoing, according to the investigation.
According to the report, the owner later received a text message confession from Tanguturi, who also confessed in person to him and a Florida Lottery inspector.
The overall number of lottery tickets taken topped $300,000, but winning tickets were utilized to offset some of the loss, resulting in a proven theft of $60,546.95, according to the report.
A Florida Lottery inspector discovered that the stolen scratch-off ticket books were cashed in bulk at a single merchant, which he described as uncommon and “indicative of fraud,” according to the report.
Tanguturi was booked into jail and scheduled to appear in bond court on Tuesday.
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