Woman must pay $45K for lotto tix theft

ALBION, Ind. (WANE) - According to our partners in news, The News Sun in Kendallville, a Kimmell woman was ordered on Tuesday to pay $47,214.09 in restitution to a former employer in what authorities believe is one of the largest cases in the state involving stolen Hoosier Lottery scratch-off tickets.

Natalie Y. Long, 28, pleaded guilty earlier this year to theft, a Class D felony. According to Steve Clouse, Noble County Prosecutor, Long admitted she stole lottery tickets from Low Bob’s Discount Tobacco store on U.S. 6 in Ligonier.

The case started in May 2009 when Steve Stephens, owner of Low Bob’s, came to the Ligonier Police Department to report missing lottery tickets from his store. At the time, the store was an official retailer for the Hoosier Lottery. The thefts took place between June 2008 and May 2009.

On April 9 of this year, Long was given a three-year sentence on the theft charge, with all but 60 days suspended, and she was allowed to apply for admission into the county’s work-release program to serve the 60 days.

Clouse said Long maintains she stole no more than $3,500 worth of the tickets.

But in court testimony Tuesday during a restitution hearing, Tracy Wright, a co-owner of the business and primary bookkeeper, said she conducted an audit of the store’s lottery tickets purchases and sales. Wright’s accounting showed that during the time Long was employed by Low Bob’s, there was a loss of $47,419 in lottery tickets.

Noble County Judge Robert Kirsch ordered Long to pay that amount in restitution.

Clouse said the amount ordered repaid by Kirsch “is by far the largest of this kind I have seen in Noble County during my nearly 12 years as prosecutor.”

An investigator from the Hoosier Lottery has also been looking into the case. According to Detective Sgt. Gary Cox of the Ligonier Police Department, there was video evidence given to police that helped solve the theft of the lottery tickets. Cox said Stephens received an insurance payment of $25,000 for the loss of the tickets.

Cox said Long was using some of her winnings from the stolen tickets to pay off a court-ordered restitution from a theft of a Ligonier discount store. Long was charged with stealing more than $1,200 from the Dollar General store in Ligonier in October 2006. At the time, Long was an employee of the store.

She pleaded guilty in that case and was paying back the money as part of a plea-agreement.

Stephens could not be reached for comment.