SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man is accused of cashing in lottery tickets that were stolen from a North Side convenience store in September.
Bexar County Jail records show Jose Trinidad Patino, 38, was charged with claiming a lottery prize by fraud between $200 and $10,000, a third-degree felony.
The investigation began on Sept. 17, when a burglary was reported at the Nassau Food Mart in the 100 block of Nassau Drive, near West Avenue.
The owner of the store told police that lottery scratch-off tickets were stolen during the break-in, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. The stolen tickets were reported to the Texas Lottery Commission.
The commission contacted the police on Sept. 20 and said some of the scratch-offs were cashed in at the QT Store in the 7200 block of San Pedro Ave.
Police reviewed surveillance footage that showed Patino cashing in the scratch-offs two hours after the burglary, the affidavit states.
Patino was not arrested for the burglary but the affidavit states he is “also a suspect to other burglaries and lottery fraud cases” that are under investigation.
Records show he was arrested on Tuesday. His bond is set at $2,000.
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