A United States Postal Service carrier in Broward County is facing a series of felony charges after investigators said she stole a winning Florida Lottery ticket from the mail, redeemed it herself, and collected a $2,600 prize that had been intended to help cover funeral expenses.
WPLG Local 10 reporter Terrell Forney said the investigation centered on 28-year-old Lakaysha Kenya Lockhart, a letter carrier assigned to the Oakland Park post office. Authorities allege she used her access as a postal employee to take the ticket before it reached a relative in Fort Lauderdale.
The case began as a missing-mail complaint but quickly became much easier to trace once investigators learned the ticket had already been cashed at a Florida Lottery office.
Winner Mailed the Prize to a Relative
The winning Pick 4 ticket was purchased at a Publix store in the Tampa area and carried a prize of $2,600, according to Forney’s report.
Because the amount was greater than the $599 maximum that could be paid by a regular lottery retailer, the ticket holder was instructed to claim it through the Florida Lottery’s formal prize process.
Instead of keeping the winnings, the woman decided to give the ticket to a relative in South Florida so the money could help pay another person’s funeral expenses. She placed the unclaimed ticket in the mail and sent it through the Postal Service.
The ticket never reached its intended destination.
More than a week passed before the winner reported the missing mail to police, triggering an investigation involving the Florida Lottery’s Division of Security and the USPS Office of Inspector General.
The fact that the prize was meant to help with a funeral makes the accusation especially troubling. This was not simply a misplaced envelope containing an unexpected windfall; investigators say someone intercepted money that had already been promised to a family during a difficult time.
Ticket Traced to Miami Lakes Office
Investigators checked the ticket’s claim history and discovered it had been redeemed at the Florida Lottery’s Miami District Office only five days after the original drawing.
A Florida Lottery inspector determined that Lockhart had presented the ticket and collected the money on June 19, according to the arrest report described by Local 10.
Authorities said she had no connection to the original winner and had never been given permission to possess or redeem the ticket.
The quick redemption created a clear trail. Lottery prizes of that size require more documentation than a small winning ticket cashed at a convenience store, giving investigators a record of when, where, and by whom the claim was made.
That system appears to have worked exactly as intended. A person trying to steal cash from an envelope might leave little evidence, but a numbered lottery ticket remains tied to its purchase, drawing, value, and redemption.
Forney described investigators as quickly realizing that someone other than the rightful owner had claimed the prize. Their next task was determining how the ticket had moved from the mail stream into Lockhart’s hands.
Postal Employee Accused of Using Her Position
Investigators later identified Lockhart as a USPS employee assigned to the Oakland Park facility.
The arrest report alleged that she used her position within the postal system to steal the winning ticket before it could be delivered. Local 10 also reported that investigators believed technology or a two-way communication device was used in connection with the alleged felony.
Florida Lottery special agents and investigators from the Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General carried out a joint operation that led to her arrest on July 23.
Authorities said Lockhart admitted after her arrest that she had stolen the ticket and redeemed it at the Miami-area office.
That alleged admission, combined with the lottery’s redemption records and her postal employment, would appear to give investigators several different forms of evidence. Still, the charges remain accusations unless they are proven in court.
A USPS spokesperson told Local 10 that Lockhart joined the agency on April 21, 2025. She remained employed by the Postal Service when the report was published but had been taken off duty.
Postal workers are trusted with checks, identification documents, medications, legal papers, and items carrying both financial and emotional value. An accusation involving a carrier therefore harms more than one customer because it can weaken confidence in a system built around people allowing strangers to handle private property every day.
Multiple Felony Charges Filed
Jail and court records showed Lockhart facing several serious charges connected to the alleged theft and redemption.
Those charges included grand theft, dealing in stolen property, filing a false claim for payment, mail theft, and two counts involving the unlawful use of a two-way communications device.
The video report initially described a combination of grand theft, petty theft-related allegations, possession of stolen mail, and use of a communications device to facilitate a felony. The more detailed case records listed the final collection of counts filed against her.
Florida Lottery officials said the alleged offenses took place across more than one judicial circuit, meaning portions of the case would be prosecuted separately.
That arrangement reflects the unusual path of the ticket. It was bought in the Tampa area, mailed toward Fort Lauderdale, allegedly taken while moving through the postal system, and then redeemed in Miami-Dade County.
Lockhart had already bonded out of jail by the time of Forney’s report and was no longer listed as an inmate in Broward County records.
Lottery Officials Praise Joint Investigation
Florida Lottery Secretary Reginald D. Dixon said players should be able to trust that prizes will be protected through strong security and oversight.
“Our players deserve confidence that every Lottery prize is protected through strong security measures and diligent oversight,” Dixon said in a statement included in the Local 10 reporting.
He praised the Lottery’s security division and thanked the USPS Office of Inspector General and the Broward County Sheriff’s Office for working together on the investigation.
The collaboration mattered because no single agency controlled every part of the case. Lottery investigators could track the ticket and its payment, postal inspectors could examine how it disappeared from the mail, and local law enforcement could handle the arrest and criminal process.
Dixon said the combined work helped protect the integrity of Florida Lottery games and bring the investigation to a successful resolution.
The prize itself was relatively modest compared with the multimillion-dollar jackpots that usually attract attention, but the security issue was no less important. Every legitimate winner depends on the same basic promise that a valid ticket belongs to its owner and cannot be lawfully claimed by someone else.
Missing Mail Led Directly to an Arrest
Postal inspectors encouraged customers to report suspicious activity rather than assuming missing mail was simply lost.
In this case, the winner’s decision to contact police gave investigators the chance to compare the missing ticket with the Lottery’s records. Without that complaint, the redemption might have appeared to be an ordinary $2,600 claim.
Forney’s report showed how quickly a seemingly simple theft can unravel when the stolen item carries its own tracking history. The ticket’s identifying information, the formal redemption process, office records, and the suspect’s employment all helped create a trail investigators could follow.
The accusation is also a reminder that mailing an unsigned or unclaimed winning ticket carries obvious risk. Once it leaves the owner’s hands, the physical ticket may be the main proof needed to seek payment unless precautions have been taken.
Authorities say the woman who was supposed to safeguard the mail instead removed the prize and collected it herself. What was intended as a generous gift for funeral costs became a criminal investigation involving multiple agencies, several felony charges, and a postal employee taken off duty.
Lockhart will now face the allegations in court, where prosecutors will need to establish how the ticket was taken, how it reached the Miami District Office, and whether she knowingly submitted a claim for money that belonged to someone else.
Ed spent his childhood in the backwoods of Maine, where harsh winters taught him the value of survival skills. With a background in bushcraft and off-grid living, Ed has honed his expertise in fire-making, hunting, and wild foraging. He writes from personal experience, sharing practical tips and hands-on techniques to thrive in any outdoor environment. Whether it’s primitive camping or full-scale survival, Ed’s advice is grounded in real-life challenges.
