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Antonio Levon Ricardo Stewart, a 36-year-old man from Florence in Horry County, South Carolina, was recently arrested for stealing lottery tickets from a gas station and trying to redeem them elsewhere. Stewart allegedly stole an entire pack of South Carolina Education Lottery tickets from a Murphy USA gas station on May 6, 2025, with the act caught on the store’s surveillance cameras. The suspect had visited the gas station for a job interview.
Warrants provided by the South Carolina Law Enforcement reveal that Stewart tried to redeem the tickets at three different stores, including Carolina C-Store, Refuel, and Friendly Neighbor. Notably, two of the stores were located on the same strip as the Murphy USA store from which he stole the tickets. Apparently, Stewart managed to redeem only a single winning ticket for a $5 cash prize.
While the arrest warrant for Stewart was issued a month after the crime, the police didn’t locate him until a year later, on August 25, 2026. He was booked into the Florence County Detention Center and charged with three counts of intent to defraud involving counterfeit game tickets. He was released a day later after posting a $15,000 bond.
If found guilty, Stewart could face up to 15 years behind bars (five years for every charge) and fines of up to $150,000 ($50,000 per charge). He will also be blacklisted from ever being employed by the lottery commission and permanently barred from claiming a South Carolina Education Lottery prize.
