A Midlands man recently was arrested for trying to claim another person’s winning lottery tickets as his own, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division .
On July 18, 40-year-old Orangeburg resident James Antonio Cheeseboro was charged with intent to defraud, counterfeit game tickets , SLED said Monday in a news release.
At about 8 p.m. on July 7, Cheeseboro tried to pass multiple South Carolina Education Lottery at the Quick Pantry gas station/convenience store at 1096 John C. Calhoun Drive in Orangeburg , according to an arrest warrant.
The charge was not unique, as SLED reported that people in separate incidents in both Lexington and Aiken counties also have recently been charged with intent to defraud, counterfeit game tickets.
But in each of those incidents, the defendants were accused of physically stealing the tickets they then tried to redeem for the cash prizes.
That’s not what Cheeseboro was charged with doing.
According to an arrest warrant, Cheeseboro saw a social media post shared by the person who actually possessed the winning lottery tickets. Cheeseboro then took the activation codes from the social media post then provided those numbers to his manager at the Quick Pantry, who then manually entered the numbers into the store’s terminal, the arrest warrant said.
Cheeseboro then collected the prizes — a combined $445 — “for his personal gain without the permission or consent of the ticket purchaser,” according to the arrest warrant.
Cheeseboro was arrested after being identified on surveillance footage from the Quick Pantry as well as the store’s management, the arrest warrant said.
Cheeseboro was booked into the Orangeburg County Detention Center, according to SLED. His bond was set at $5,000 on July 18, and posted the same day, Orangeburg County court records show.
He’s scheduled to return to court on Sept. 4, according to court records. The 1st Circuit Solicitor’s Office will prosecute Cheeseboro.
The Lexington County case
In the Lexington County incident, 47-year-old Cayce resident Mitchell Lonnell Gleaton was charged with the same crime on July 16, SLED said Tuesday.
The crime dates back to Aug. 18, 2023, when Gleaton stole two scratch-off lottery tickets from Simba Express at 1830 Frink Street in Cayce, which is in Lexington County, according to an arrest warrant. On that same day, Gleaton cashed in the stolen tickets at the S Mart on Elmwood Avenue in Richland County, the arrest warrant shows.
Gleaton redeemed one of the stolen tickets for $25, according to the arrest warrant.
Information about why it took nearly a year for Gleaton to be charged was not available, but he was seen stealing and cashing the tickets on surveillance footage from both convenience stores, the arrest warrant says.
Gleaton was identified by the Cayce Police Department, and that was confirmed with SCDMV and Lexington County Detention Center records, according to the arrest warrant.
Information about Gleaton’s bond status was not available, but he’s not currently listed on the Lexington County Detention Center’s inmate roster.
The Aiken County case
In the Aiken County incident, 37-year-old North Augusta resident Angel Nicole Huitt was also charged with intent to defraud, counterfeit game tickets, SLED said Tuesday.
While Huitt was charged July 18, her incident dates even further back to Feb. 26, 2023, according to an arrest warrant. That’s when Huitt stole 23 scratch-off lottery tickets from the Save and Shop on Atomic Road in North Augusta then redeemed them — for a combined total of $94 — at a Circle K store on Old 96 Indian Trail in Batesburg, the arrest warrant shows.
She was seen stealing and cashing the tickets on surveillance footage from both Aiken County stores, then identified through jail records, according to an arrest warrant.
Huitt was booked into the Aiken County Detention Center, according to SLED. Her bond was set at $5,000 on July 18, and posted the same day, Aiken County court records show.
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