A Wisconsin woman will serve ten days in jail after pleading guilty to forging lottery tickets at the gas station where she worked.
Hope Johnson of Neillsville, Wisconsin, entered a guilty plea on one count of forging a lottery ticket on July 7 in Clark County Circuit Court, according to court records.
The 26-year-old was initially facing six Class I felony counts of forging a lottery ticket, but five were dismissed as a result of the guilty plea. In Wisconsin, a Class I felony carries up to 3 and a half years in jail or a $10,000 fine.
She was sentenced to two years of probation, including 90 days of conditional jail; 80 days were stayed, so Johnson will only be required to serve 10 days. She is due to report by Aug. 8 at 6 p.m., according to court records.
A probation review hearing is set for Oct. 8.
A phone number listed for Johnson’s attorney was disconnected.
Woman forged lottery tickets at gas station where she worked
Officials alleged Johnson illegally printed lottery tickets at the gas station where she worked without paying for them, according to a criminal complaint obtained by USA TODAY.
After reporting a lottery shortage in August 2024, officials reviewed security footage from the dates when the losses occurred, according the criminal complaint. Johnson was working alone during the shifts.
Johnson printed more than 800 lottery tickets without paying for them, officials said. She then took the winning tickets to another nearby gas station to redeem them, according to the complaint.
The tickets cost the gas station more than $8,800, and Johnson illegally redeemed more than $2,800 in winnings, per the complaint.
Court orders woman cannot work anywhere with lottery ticket access
In addition to serving 10 days in jail, the court also ordered Johnson to pay more than $13,000 in restitution as part of her probation, according to online records.
Johnson will also not be allowed to work anywhere with access to lottery tickets or pull tabs.
She will be required to write a victim apology letter and maintain at least 25 hours of employment or education per week as part of the conditions of her probation.
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com.
