SACRAMENTO – As part of its effort to protect consumers, the California Lottery’s Law Enforcement Division has arrested six people working at retail locations in Riverside County and issued arrest warrants for two additional suspects.

In each of the cases, the Lottery, in conjunction with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, arrested retailers or store clerks for attempting to steal winning Lottery tickets or falsely claiming to be the owner of a winning ticket.

“While these crimes involve only a small number of our more than 20,000 authorized retailers, we demand that all our retailers be fair and honest,” California Lottery Director Joan Borucki said. “The Lottery will not tolerate those who deceive our players and compromise the integrity of Lottery games.”

In the Riverside County operation, undercover investigators posing as customers handed clerks decoy winning tickets and asked if they had won. In some instances, the clerks told the investigators that their ticket was not a winner. The suspects then went on to file a claim with the Lottery as if the winning tickets were theirs.

“It is very important to work together with other agencies on operations designed to uncover fraud in our community,” said Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco. “I appreciate the opportunity to work with the California Lottery on this investigation to help maintain the integrity of the lottery system.”

Suspects face felony charges, including attempted grand theft and perjury. The punishment includes possible fines and incarceration in state prison.

The California Lottery is a leader in consumer protection. It has one of the largest forces of sworn peace officers of any Lottery in the nation.