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Winning Tickets Not So Lucky For Long Island Lottery Thieves

WILLISTON PARK, NY (WCBS 880) - Police on Long Island say three people stole beer, cigarettes, and dozens of lottery tickets from a Williston Park store.

WCBS 880's Sophia Hall On The Story

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First they drank the stolen beer and then, when they scratched off the tickets, there were a few winners.

Nassau County police Lt. Raymond Cote said the men thought they would be slick and give the winners to a few friends to cash in, so they would not get caught.

But each ticket is stamped with a specific number.

"The lottery authority knows the sequential order of all those tickets that have been stolen. Now, with that information, they're able to determine that one of those tickets that was in that stack was just cashed," he told WCBS 880 reporter Sophia Hall.

He said detectives tracked down one of the friends who cashed a lottery ticket and that friend turned in the three alleged thieves.

Know of any other stupid criminals? Share your stories below!

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