ONTARIO-The OPP Investigation and Enforcement Bureau (IEB) has charged a Pickering resident in connection with incidents involving lottery scratch tickets.
The investigation began in October 2023 when individuals across the Greater Toronto Area began reporting that their scratch tickets had already been scratched.
It was found that tickets at multiple locations were being tampered with and placed back into ticket displays without the store clerk’s knowledge according to police.
On December 6, 2023 Stephen Michael Dea, age 44 of Pickering was arrested and charged under the Criminal Code with Fraud under $5000 – section 380(1)b) – four counts and Theft under $5000 – sec. 334(b) – four counts.
The accused was not an employee at any retail outlet selling tickets.
The accused has been released from custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Oshawa on February 15, 2024.
The IEB is an OPP Division, embedded within the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), and is responsible for conducting criminal, provincial and regulatory investigations to ensure integrity and public safety within AGCO regulated industries.
