Two Springfield men, including an Illinois Lottery employee,
were charged Wednesday in a scheme to allegedly steal books of lottery tickets
from retailers and cash in the winnings.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said that Dean F.
Derrick, 57, an employee of the lottery, was charged with four counts of theft
of government property greater than $500 but less than $10,000, seven counts of
official misconduct and three counts of wire fraud. His partner, Frazier R.
Mack, 24, was charged with two counts of theft of government property.
Both were arrested Wednesday and held at the Sangamon County
Jail on $15,000 bond before being released later that day.
Derrick is accused of using his role as a sales
representative for the lottery to steal books of instant lottery tickets from
retailers in order to take the winning tickets and cash them in at other
stores. Derrick also allegedly provided other winning tickets to Mack, who in
turn redeemed them.
If convicted on all charges, Derrick faces up to 17 years in
prison, while Mack faces up to five years in prison. Raoul said in a statement
that he credits the work done by Illinois State Police and the lottery to
apprehend the pair for their roles in the alleged scheme.
"State employees are charged with carrying out the work
of the public. That trust is broken when an individual seeks to personally
profit from their position," Raoul said. "I appreciate the
partnerships of both the Illinois State Police and the Illinois Lottery in this
investigation, and I will continue working to hold public employees accountable
for abusing their positions and taking advantage of the public."
Lottery director Harold Mays defended his agency's handling
of instant tickets, saying that instances like the one alleged in this
particular incident are rare.
"Our dedicated sales representatives are entrusted with
safeguarding instant tickets in their possession, and they take that work very
seriously," Mays said. "Allegations of this nature are extremely
rare, and we work closely with authorities to investigate and prosecute any
such issues."
ISP handled the case at Derrick was a state employee.
Brendan Kelly, the agency's director, said that they were committed to working
with Raoul and the lottery to ensure that justice is served.
"The Illinois State Police pursues any state
employee committing malfeasance and criminal behavior," Kelly said.
"ISP continues to work
with the Attorney General’s Office and the Illinois Lottery
to bring these individuals to justice and maintain the people's trust."
Derrick and Mack are next scheduled to appear in court March
30.