>> howie: you know, we have a lot of dance troops on this show every year. i have to say after watching you and surprise that you brought to our youtube show, you, without a doubt, are my favorite dance troupe i have ever seen in any season of "america's got talent." what you do, within the context of doing something and then changing it up half way through. both times you did that. you change your style. you changed the dance. it's just amazing. i don't know how many different tools you have but again, vote, america! they deserve it. >> nick: howard? >> howard: only three can go through. i'm going to rain on the parade. everybody wants to end on a high but i wasn't feeling the same thing unfortunately. you guys are wonderful dancers. i loved you the last time. i think actually it was very similar this time i got a little bit bored through it. i was wishing it would be over. >> sharon: wrong! >> howard: you are up against a lot of big talent. i don't think you did enough to get through.

you are super talented i wish you the best of luck in your career. >> nick: all right, guys, judges didn't all agree. howard said he was a little bored you got standing ovation from the others. how do you think america will feel? >> i just want to say thank to you everybody. if they love us, they love us. to howard, your opinion does matter i just want to say thank you. if we -- if god willing people in america are willing to let us advance i hope i could just prove you wrong. >> howard: you're very talented. i wish you the best. >> nick: all right. to put academy of villains into the finals you know what you have to do. call 1-866-60-agt-12. that's 1-866-602-4812. ok, you've seen all the acts. now you have to choose the three who will go into the finals. here's all the voting info.

here we go - voting is now open! remember, this is for a spot in the finals! these are 866 numbers, not 800. please don't get that wrong. and calls are toll-free from landlines. you can also vote, go to nbc.com to vote online. all the voting lines will be open for two hours after the show. you can vote up to ten votes per method, but however you

do it pick up the phone, grab the mouse, you must vote. howie, how do you feel about tonight. >> howie: this is most amazing episode this season. most impossible job now in america's hands. you've got to vote. only three acts go through. get to the phone tomorrow, three acts will go into the finals. who they are depends on you! also taking the stage, steve harvey and neon trees! i'm @nick cannon - goodnight america! er also lost t to sell lottery tickets. then there was "dateline's" own investigation in new york city. new york runs the biggest lottery in the country. we sent an undercover player into this smoke shop in greenich village. she handed the clerk some tickets to check. >> hello.

>> we knew one of them was a $500 winner. when the clerk compared our ticket to the winning numbers, he seemed excited. >> 5, 6, 1. whoa! >> what? >> but then he calmed down. >> $173. >> okay. >> so it's nothing. you just missed. >> oh, i missed it? i didn't win? >> uh-uh. >> oh. okay. well, thanks for checking. are you sure? >> yes. >> instead of telling the truth, he told our undercover player our $500 ticket was a loser, kept the ticket and crumpled it up. when we went back into the store, there he was. studying our ticket. >> chris hansen, "dateline" nbc. how are you? the clerk denied checking the numbers until i showed him the

footage from our hidden camera. >> 5, 6, 1. ha! >> you go ha! why do you go ha? >> what do you mean? >> this is my family store. >> you know -- >> it was nothing. >> the clerk was never prosecuted for any crime, but the store owner fired the clerk. since california began its program, at least 11 states have started their own undercover stings to expose corrupt lottery dealers. recently, the ohio lottery began its own program, and for our latest investigation, we were invited to observe as the ohio team hit the streets. >> coming to the west side of cleveland. >> jack o'donnell is the chief lottery investigator. why did ohio decide to do this? >> i think we realized as did some of the other states a few years ago that there is an issue

with the cashing of tickets at some retailers. >> reporter: . >> as in the california operations, the ohio lottery created a test ticket called rings of cash for the investigators. it's a guaranteed win winner. >> going to gandhi's beverage in willoughby, up here on the left. >> you are watching as a man heads into this store 20 miles west of cleveland, ohio. holding three lottery tickets. >> boy, it's getting hot. >> yeah. >> one of the tickets is a $500 winner. >> see if any of them are a winner. maybe i can go home from work early. >> the clerk doesn't know the player is an investigator from the ohio lottery, checking to see if she's honest. will the clerk identify the $500 winner? when the investigator comes back to the counter. >> $500! >> what? >> i'm dead serious. >> holy crap! >> the clerk pays him $500 in

cash. >> 85, and you didn't totally clean me out. >> all right. >> that's the way it's supposed to work, and, in fact, most of the clerks we run into do the right thing. but are all the clerks in ohio honest? >> nothing. >> no winners? nah. >> don't bet on it. coming up -- >> she ripped me off for $500. >> a $500 rip-off? what might happen with a winning ticket worth more than $7,000. sweetening the pot.

is

jack o'donnell and his team of ohio lottery investigators are in wickliffe, ohio, about 15

miles east of cleveland. >> going into a sunoco gas station with winning wings of cash tickets. >> he has three tickets. two are losers, but the third is a winner. will the clerk be honest? >> you can check those? >> the investigator leaves the ticket on the counter and does some shopping. when he returns, he asks about the tickets. >> nope, nothing on there. >> no winners? nah. nothing on those. no winners? i don't need them. >> not doing you any good. >> you have a good day. >> she ripped me off for $500. she ripped me off for $500. >> perfect. okay. >> this is just the first stage of the operation. now, o'donnell and his investigators need to wait and see if anyone cashes that ticket. if someone does, they'll be

back. and so will we. in case you're wondering if it's easy to make a mistake identifying a winning ticket from a loser, this lottery clerk says that's next to impossible. >> i mean, everything is regulated through the bar code and the scanning, the computer does all of the work. >> cory rossen showed us how. when he scans a winning ticket, a special screen pops up, telling him how much the customer won. >> in this case, it is, in fact, a winning ticket of $500. it was a $2 ticket called the ring of cash. wheth when validated it will pay the customer $500. >> it acquires the clerk to push a button, acknowledging it's a winner. >> if it's a winning ticket, it will push through a verification with a prize amount. >> it also has a time stamp and the ticket number printed on it. it even admits a lottery alert. >> winner, winner. >> an onscreen notice that

cannot be ignored. a printed receipt and even a cheer. >> winner, winner! >> so it's almost error proof for us as a teller. >> the investigators move down the row. next stop, columbus. >> going to be going into bushman's with winning rings of cash tickets. a $500 winner. >> at this store, called bushman's market, he instruct the investigators to up the ante and take in a $7,500 winning ticket and two losers. >> man, going to be hot again today. whoo. check them out for me, brother where is your water at? when the investigator comes back to the counter, the clerk seems to be acknowledging there is a winner, but being cagey about amount. >> you know how much you hit? >> what is it? >> do you know? >> what is it?

>> one of those, they been paid. >> yeah, i thought so, they have been in the car for a while. >> he tells the investigator two tickets are lose errs. he is holding the winning ticket in his hands. if he scanned the whipping ticket, the terminal screen right in front of him is telling him it's a $7,500 winner. >> no good ones, huh? that sucks. go figure. all right, buddy. >> in the end, the clerk keeps all of the tickets. a real player would have been out $7, 500. >> he just stole it. >> now investigators will wait. >> if the clerk himself cashes it, we'll go ahead and charge them with the theft and if he has someone else cash it, we can charge that person with receiving stolen property.

>> o'donnell and his team will be back and we'll be right along with them. >> we understand you won a $7,500 lottery ticket. >> who, me? >> coming up, a clash with the clerk. >> it appears you did keep the $500. >> i don't think so. >> someone's number is up. when "dateline" continues.

lottery investigators in ohio have been testing clerks by handing in winning tickets to see if the clerks would honestly reveal the winners. some did not, and now investigators have learned some of the clerks cashed the tickets themselves. now we're going back to find out why. we're headed to a gas station in wickliffe, ohio, just outside the cleveland. the investigators went in with the $500 win ner it was the clek in this store, rachel lorel that told the investigator that his $500 ticket was a loser. >> nothing on there? >> nope, nothing. >> the ticket was scanned in the store's terminal while the investigator was still in the store and again about 15 minutes later and three days later, she cashed in the ticket. lottery investigator jock

o'donnell. >> she's not the owner. she just works at the store, so the owner i'm told is a pretty legitimate guy. >> o'donnell instructs an investigator to instruct her one more time. taking in another $500 winning ticket to see if lorel will reveal if it's a winner. >> you can see if those are winners? >> when the investigator comes back to the counter, she shows him the printout. this time she does the right thing and accurately reveals it's a $500 winner. >> the dollar amount on that. >> do i have to stay here or go to a bank? >> no, i cash it here. >> thank you. you have a good day. >> now i head in to speak with ms. lorel. chris hansen, "dateline" nbc. >> hi, i'm rachel. >> we're doing a story testing

lottery clerwinnings and retail clerks. you passed the test. >> oh, good. >> but we know what happened to the other $500 ticket. i have mixed news. they came to investigate you a few months ago. >> okay. >> and it appears you did keep the $500. >> i don't think so. >> i show her the hidden camera video. comes right to the counter. >> okay. >> no, nothing on there. >> nothing. no winners? nah. >> so that's you. >> that is me. >> all right. have a good day. >> the question is, rachel, what happened to that other ticket that was a $500 winner? >> it looks like it got thrown in the garbage. >> i got to get people. >> i know it didn't get thrown in the garbage, because you cashed it. >> i didn't cash it. >> the lottery computers show right there that it was scanned, scanned, and then validated and it was claimed. >> okay. >> we have a lot of people that dig through the garbage.

>> she says someone else must have found the ticket in the garbage and also says the store's lottery terminal wasn't working that day and didn't printout the receipt showing it was a winning ticket. lottery investigators say they have evidence her machine was working. but, remember, she didn't try to steal a ticket the second time around. >> can i sit here or go to a bank? >> no, you cash it here. >> could there be a mistake? investigators don't think so. >> my guess is something today spooked her or today wasn't the day she felt lucky. so she didn't try to take the ticket today. >> lorel later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft of the first ticket and sentenced to probation and community service. we're in columbus, ohio, headed to the bushman's market where a few months ago an ohio lottery investigators presented a $ 7,500 winning ticket. >> man, it's going to be hot

again today. check them out for me, brother. >> the clerk didn't tell the undercover investigator the ticket was a big winner. >> no good ones, huh? that sucks. >> the ticket was later cashed. but not by this clerk. this one is interesting, jack, because the guy actually gave the ticket to his mother? >> yes, we believe that it's his mother that actually claimed the ticket. >> now it's time for me to ask that clerk some questions. how would he explain his mother's good fortune. >> we understand you won a $7,500 lottery ticket. >> who, me? >> did someone in your family win a $7,500 prize in the lottery seni lottery? was that your mom? was the ticket purchased here? >> no. actually she found it. >> she found it. >> um-hum. >> but right away he changes his

story. >> where deshe fouid she found ? >> i actually found it right here. >> i found it right here. and then he changed his story again. >> where did you find the ticket? >> actually somebody dropped it right there. >> um-hum. >> something you need to know. i'm chris hansen with "dateline" nbc. we're doing an investigation into the honesty of lottery retailers. >> i'm honest. you can tell anybody about that. we are a big dealer here. >> here is why i know you're lying. >> yes, sir. >> when that man came, he was wearing a hidden camera. may i show you some video? the man was an investigator for the ohio lottery. >> chem them out for me, bro. >> that's you, right? you know how much you hit. what did you mean by that? >> i always ask people. i always do. how much you hit? >> but that would indicate you at least knew it was a winning

ticket. >> at this time i didn't cash nothing. i always ask people. people find them in the rash trg them to me. >> one of those, they already been paid. >> they have been in the car for a while. >> i remember it. it's like you are accusing me of stealing. >> i'm not accusing you. the state of ohio is accusing you of stealing jack o'donnell let's him know exactly what he is being accused. >> you are charged with felony theft. you should know we know -- we know that ticket was scanned while our guy was still in the store. >> a few minutes later, metschkor has something else to say. >> i shouldn't take something that was mine. >> you apologizing? >> yes, i'm apologizing to the customer, to my mom, first, because she doesn't know nothing about it, and my boss, he doesn't know nothing about it. >> the clerk doesn't quite admit

to stealing the ticket, but o'donnell has no doubt. is there any way that he could be telling the truth about not having scanned that ticket prior to your investigator leaving the store? >> no. none. we know exactly the time that he scanned ticket and when he did it produced a file claim. >> later, metschkor admitted to a felony count of theft and put in a diversion program including 40 hours of community service and paying court costs. his mother was not charged with any crime. now we're heading back to california, where we've been following investigators for several years. would you think every lottery clerk in the state would be wise to the operation by now. >> can you check those for me? >> well -- >> this one expired. >> okay. >> okay. >> and the other one said not a winner. >> coming up -- we up the ante.

california clerks with $10,000 reasons to do the right thing. >> $10,000. >> what? you're kidding me. >> not a winner. >> wow, not a winner. >> sounds like he's just ripped her. >> when "the hansen files" continues. ah.

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we've hit just about the entire state. this was the last of the areas we had not really concentrated on. >> three years ago, we started following california lottery investigators as they pioneered their undercover sting operation. now we're back with them in san francisco. al chidester is leading the team. >> we'll do random checks of businesses. >> although they have done random checks all over the state this is the first time investigators have worked the city by the bay. an undercover investigator will take in a $10,000 winning ticket and two losers. she'll leave the tickets on the counter and see if the clerk will honestly identify the big winner. >> i don't think these are winners, but if you could check with me. >> the vast majority of clerks are honest and identify the $10,000 ticket. >> you won $10,000. >> what? you are kidding me.

>> you won $10,000. >> are you serious? >> yeah. >> $10,000. >> holy cow. i don't believe that. my buddy dave oody gave it to . >> time is 9:39. i'm entering dairy market. >> watch when she goes into the deery & hyde market. >> how you doing? >> she's in the store. >> in the store, made initial contact with the clerk. >> can you check that for me? >> when she comes back to the counter, it's the moment of truth. well, maybe not the truth. >> were those losers? not a winner? bummer. >> wow. >> not a winner. there we go. so he ripped her. >> sounds like he's just ripped her. >> thank you. have a good day. >> remember, this is just the first part of the operation. if anyone tries to cash in the winning ticket, investigators will be back and we'll be right

along with them. they move on to other stores. >> could you check this for me? >> this is the lincoln park liquor store. >> any luck with those? >> won $5. >> $5 winner? okay. >> the clerk says the winner is a $5 winner and gives him a $5 lottery ticket. what happened to the other $9,995. the cleshg at a deli takes the winner and gives the investig e investigat investigator 5 bucks. fulton shop doesn't even rate 5 bucks ample long with the big winner, she hands the clerk two losing tickets to check. >> were they all nonwinners? >> the clerk gives back her losing tickets along with a bunch of other losers he has stashed under the counter. >> i have a lot more if you want.

you want them all? >> sure. >> but the $10,000 winning ticket is not in that pile. >> at this 7-1 -- 7-eleven store, the clerk doesn't identify the winner either. >> i never win. >> he keeps the ticket, but gives her encouraging wins. were those words of wisdom worth the 10 grand she left on the counter. investigators move to sacramento and run into this clerk at the flyer's shell station. >> can you check shows for me? >> will she identify the $10,000 winner. there one expired. and the other one said not a winner. >> nope. >> i can throw them all away. >> yeah, go ahead. that will work. >> $10 grand in the trash for now anyway.

lottery investigators will wait and see if anyone tries to cash in on the $10,000 tickets that the clerk said were all losers. if they do, investigators will be talking to them. >> do you have anything you want to tell me about the ticket? a >> and so will i. have you seen any of our investigations on stolen lottery tickets? coming up, talking about a fast one. before the investigators can get back to their office, she's there trying to claim the $10,000 this country was built by working people.

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it's been about three months. the california lottery knows that some of the clerks have actually tried to cash in the $10,000 tickets they took from investigators. we're rolling through sacramento. we're on our way to the home of 22-year-old nina berryman, working at a clerk in a gas station, she allegedly stole the lottery investigator's $10,000 winning bait ticket. this was berryman back at the gas station. >> this one expired. >> okay. >> the other one said not a winner. >> remember, she offered to throw the tickets in the trash. >> i can throw them all away if you want me to. >> go ahead, yeah, that will work. >> well, here she is at the lottery headquarters nearly three hours after the

investigator handed her the ticket. she is putting in a claim for the $10,000. lottery investigate oral chidester was impressed by her speed. >> she actually beat the investigators back to the office to claim the ticket. >> wait a minute, before the investigators can get back, she's there trying to claim the winning ticket? >> yeah, probably quite likely the fastest claimant we've ever had in one of these cases. >> now investigators going to berryman's house to talk to her. they are recording with a hidden camera. >> this ticket that you -- that you submitted was stolen from undercover police officer. >> her prize is a set of handcuffs. >> go ahead and put your hands behind your back. >> second prize? a chance to speak to me. hey, i'm chris hansen with "dateline" nbc. >> i bought scratchers right before the lady came in.

>> she tells me she purchased her own tickets right before the undercover investigator came in, and got them mixed up with the tickets the investigator came in. >> this one expired. >> okay. >> and the other one said not a winner. >> but she scanned the $10,000 tickets. why didn't she tell the investigator one of the tickets was a winner? i show her the video from the hidden camera. that's you, right? >> yes. >> i can throw them all away if you want. >> yeah, go ahead. that will work. >> berryman said shortly after that i left the store. >> i picked up the tickets that i bought with the receipt. i have the receipt, i'll be bringing that in. >> you have the receipt for the tickets you bought that day? >> i don't have it on me, but it's on record at the store. >> so this is one big mixup. >> yeah, that's what i'm saying. >> she sticks to her story. >> it was an honest mistake, it was an accident and i'll show i bought my tickets that day. >> berryman never did come up with those receipts and needless to say, never got the $10,000.

berryman pleaded no contest to a felony, attempted grand theft. she was sentenced to 150 days in jail, three years' probation, and she was fined. the lottery put the store on three years' probation with the condition that berryman could not work there. lottery investigators go back to san francisco to visit another store they checked on during their first visit. the location we're going to is a 7-eleven where the clerk accepted the three tickets from the lottery investigator and told the investigator that, you know, they were losers. right after that the clerk gave her some words to live by. >> what's that? >> the next day, the clerk's sister-in-law, who also works at the 7-eleven, put in a claim for the $10,000. now it's time no talk to that

clerk. we're doing a story on lottery tickets being stolen by retailers and employees. >> actually, you might -- if you are recording. >> i need to record it. >> if anything -- you can't record anything. >> we have media relations. >> yeah. >> can i show you quick video? >> yeah. >> this was a video taken a few months back. >> i play the video of him checking the tickets the investigator gave him. >> you can check mine for me? >> definitely. you slide the tickets through the reader, one of them shows to be a $10,000 winner, which you told the investigator it was a loser. >> no, i didn't. >> yeah, you did. >> no, i did not. >> here is why i know. the lottery keeps records on computer. okay? so it shows that you scanned it three times and it comes out as a $10,000 winner. >> i have no idea. >> and then how did the ticket end up in the hands of your

sister-in-law? >> i -- you know, i have no idea. i have an attorney. if there is anything, i have nothing to say until i see my attorney. >> the clerk's attorney had no comment. the cyster er sister-in-law whe ticket never got the prize money and did not respond to our inquiries. the lottery fined the store, put it on three years' probation with the condition that clerk and his sister-in-law could not work there. the 7-eleven company told us the business owner later fired them both, because he thought they had attempted fraud. but the san francisco distinric attorney says at this point there is lack of sufficient evidence to prosecute the clerk or his sister-in-law. they have not been charged with any crimes. hey, miguel. the team is continuing to confront clerks in san francisco, and one of them is really fired up. >> i'm from lebanon, i'm going to pay back everybody if they are excuse me.

[ bleep ]. >> coming up -- >> hi. >> she found a winner. where? >> walking into the entrance, and i saw it on the floor. >> entrance to where? >> the apartment. >> where? >> it was on the street. >> where? >> i found it -- near my house. >> we can't wait to hear the tale of the traveling ticket. when "the hansen files" continues. hmm, it says here that cheerios helps lower cholesterol as part of a heart healthy diet. that's true. ...but you still have to go to the gym. ♪ the one and only, cheerios

we're back on the streets of san francisco, with california lottery investigators.

we're headed to the lincoln park market where lottery investigators once again presented three tickets, two losers, one $10,000 winning bait ticket. four days later that clerk, who is also the owner of the store, put in a claim for the $10,000 ticket. lottery investigators have told tong nguyen he will be getting paid the $10,000 prize today. so at first today, he may think we're the prize patrol. >> mr. whenguyen, how are you? sounds like are you going to get $10,000 today. are you pretty excited? >> yeah. >> what are you going to do with the money? >> fix my car. >> i'm chris hansen with "dateline nbc. we're doing a story on stolen lottery tickets and there is an indication that you stole in lottery ticket. >> i show mr. nguyen the video

from the video camera. >> yeah, won $5. >> $5 winner? >> yeah. >> okay. >> my ticket -- i scanned too. >> he says he got the $10,000 winning ticket mixed up with a small winning ticket he had bought for himself. >> i didn't -- >> he said he couldn't really see the tickets without his glasses. >> you couldn't see the $10,000 because you didn't have your glasses on. >> you can see mr. wnguyens glasses are penrched on his nos. why don't you tell me what happened what really happened? he sticks to his story, and lottery investigators stick on

the handcuffs. he plead guilty and was sentenced to 30 days in a work program and community service. the lottery terminated his contract. he can no longer sell lottery tickets. we're headed to the fulton food shop. the undercover lottery investigator presents the tickets, the clerk says all are losers, even though one is a $10,000 winning bait ticket. at the time, the clerk said that the investigators had no winners and handed back the pile of what he said are the losers. >> i have a lot more if you want. >> oh, cool. >> you want them all? >> sure. >> but the $10,000 winning ticket wasn't in the pile. where did it go? here is where this became the story of the traveling ticket. follow me here now. according to the lottery, while the investigator was still here inside the fulton food shop, the clerk scanned the winning ticket, and the machine indicated it was a $10,000 winner. then, almost almost two months

later, according to the lottery, it ended up on a shell station almost 14 miles from the original store. how did it get here? this is security video showing the original clerk from the fulton food shop, handing the ticket to the gas station attendant who scans the $10,000 winner and gives the clerk back the ticket and a receipt. according to lottery records, four days later that same ticket showed up at the california lottery district office in south san francisco. someone brought the ticket here to the district office to put in a claim for the $10,000. but it wasn't that clerk from the fulton food shop who tried to claim the prize. instead it was this woman. >> hi. >> joanne bonifacio filed the claim. she agreed to come in to speak to lottery investigators about the winning ticket. they told her it was a routine

interview, but recorded it with a hidden camera. she said she found it on the ground. >> i was walking and found it on the floor. >> the entrance to where? >> the target. >> she found it at a target store? if that's true, how did it get from the shell station to the sidewalk outside this target store here, two days later and six miles away? investigators think the fulton food clerk gave it to bonifacio to cash. so they show her that surveillance video of the clerk getting the ticket checked. >> i don't know that guy. >> okay. >> they let her know they are not buying it. >> this is a stolen ticket. >> okay. >> and this ticket has been scanned at several places, we've been tracking it. >> finally, she changes her story about where she found the ticket. >> maybe it wasn't at target, i don't know. to be honest, you can lie detect me or whatever, but it was like -- it was on the street.

>> what street was it on? >> near my house, so -- >> so could the clerk at the fulton food shop explain how she ended up with the ticket? hey, how are you? chris hansen, "dateline" nbc. we do a series of storeies, maye you have seen them. >> yeah. >> i play him the video from the undercover camera that shows him holding the three tickets the investigator gave him. one of them, the $10,000 winner. you tell her all the tickets are losers. he denies he kept the ticket. as my questions get more pointed, he triy ies flattery. >> honestly, i'm a big fan. what you just showed me right now, i have to go. i have to -- >> but you scanned it. >> okay. >> you scanned it twice here, and once at another location. >> you scanned it once here and once at another location. okay, i appreciate that.

to be clear -- thank you. but my big fan clearly doesn't want to answer my questions. later, speaking to investigators, al-hawal denies he knows joann bonifacio, the woman who cashes the ticket. >> i'm asking if you know joann bonifacio. >> no, i don't. >> she didn't return our calls or letters. no one knows how joann bonifacio ended up with the ticket. the clerk and the woman who filed the claim have not been charged with any crime. the san francisco district attorney told us that at this point, there is a lack of sufficient evidence to prosecute this case. bonifacio never got any money, and the lottery investigators took their own action and terminated the store's contract to sell lottery tickets. >> you need to tell your brother is he going to lose his lottery contract. >> we move on down the road.

we're headed to amal's deli in san francisco where a man named mickael kazoo allegedly stole a $10,000 bait ticket from lottery investigators. kazoo put in a claim for the prize himself. when we arrive at the store, lottery investigators go to? to arrest him. kazoo is clearly not a happy man. hey, mickael, i'm chris hansen. what happened? >> nothing. >> you didn't steal it? >> no, i play hundreds of dollars every week. >> yeah, everybody knows. >> where did you find the ticket? >> right there. >> in the basket. >> where? >> on the streets. >> i don't believe what government do. it's [ bleep ]. they all go in the poor people. they will pay back. >> but the served clear. >> no, no, no. [ bleep ]. i am not lying, will pay back

everybody. if i stole it, i had clear my name. come on, you can't be that stupid. >> i tell him lottery records show the winning ticket was scanned in the store at the precise time the investigators was there. >> no, no, no. >> a day later, you scan it again. no, we know this to be true. anything else you want people to know. >> people to know? it's all bull [ bleep ]. thank you for your time. >> watch your head. >> despite his protests, kazoo later pleaded no contest to a felony, attempted grand theft and sentenced to 30 days in a work program. three years probation and fined. the lottery also terminated the store's contract to sell tickets. this latest operation resulted in eight successful prosecutions. six store owners lost their contract to sell lottery tickets. security chief al chidester retired shortly after this operation. you have been took these investigations all across the

state of california. essentially what have you found? >> we found that a majority of our retailers are honest people. however there, are a few bad apples in the basket, and that's the one who's we are trying to weed out. >> what message do you think this will send? >> hopefully for the retailers we have not gone into, they will get the message we're out here, are doing this, they need to straighten out their act, and clean up their act and treat their customers with respect and honesty. >> that's all for now. i'm lester