| id | cleanReleaseDate | troopName | title |
| 1815 | 2008-09-24 | Troop B | Stolen Lottery Ticket Arrest |
| LOUISIANA STATE POLICE COURTESY LOYALTY SERVICE Colonel Michael D. Edmonson, Superintendent TROOP B- NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release Date: September 24, 2008 Stolen Lottery Ticket Arrest On Monday, September 22, 2008, the Louisiana State Police New Orleans Field Office Criminal Investigation Division conducted a joint investigation with Louisiana Lottery Corporation Investigators regarding the theft of an $800,000.00 lottery ticket. The investigation revealed that on May 29, 2008, the victim purchased a lottery ticket from the Texaco gas station located at 9654 LA 23 in Belle Chasse, LA . On June 21, 2008, the victim returned to the same store to determine if the ticket he previously purchased was a winning ticket. The store clerk, Melissa Trahan (27 yoa) of Belle Chasse, scanned the ticket and saw that the ticket was a winner; however, she intentionally did not relay that information to the victim stating to him he did not win. Trahan retained the ticket, and passed the ticket to her mother, Gwen Landry (52 yoa) of Brooklyn, Mississippi. On June 23, 2008, Gwen Landry, accompanied by Trahan, presented the ticket to the Lottery Corporation in Baton Rouge, and learned that the prize for this ticket was $800,000.00. Landry received a check for the lump sum amount of the ticket, minus applicable taxes, totaling $560,000.00. Further investigation revealed that both Gwen Landry and Melissa Trahan informed their employers of their intent to move out of state as soon as Friday, September 26. On September 23, 2008, arrest warrants were obtained for Trahan and Landry, and a search warrant was obtained for Trahan’s residence in Belle Chasse. On Wednesday, September 24, 2008, State Police Detectives and Lottery Investigators executed the search warrant at Trahan’s residence and apprehended her. The search of the residence revealed several bank records, including the deposit of the lump sum check into a joint savings account. A small amount of marijuana and two handguns were also seized. Trahan later told detectives she paid $150,000 to Landry for submitting the winning ticket to lottery officials. Trahan was booked into the Plaquemines Parish Jail for Illegal Lottery Devices ($800,000.00), possession of marijuana, and weapons charges. Members of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation simultaneously arrested Gwen Landry in Mississippi, with assistance from Louisiana State Police Detectives. Landry was charged with 40:9071 - False or altered lottery tickets, (B) (Stolen Lottery Tickets). An excess of $389,000 was located in a Mississippi bank account, which has been currently frozen. Detectives received full cooperation from the owner of the convenience store. The store’s owner identified the victim through store’s surveillance tapes with the assistance of clerks. This ultimately identified the stolen ticket and led to the perpetrators arrest. The 40:9071 statute mandates a sentence of 5 to 20 years without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence. The investigation is still ongoing. For more information contact: S/T Joseph Piglia Public Affairs Unit Louisiana State Police – Troop B Office: (504) 471-2780 joseph.piglia@dps.la.gov www.LSP.org | |||
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