sounds like you're going to get $10,000 today. >> yeah. >> are you pretty excited about na? >> yeah. >> the lottery, you dream of winning the jackpot. >> you win 10,000. >> you never dream someone else might steal your prize. tonight "dateline" goes undercover, that trusty clerk behind the counter. >> okay. >> how trusty was she? she's there trying to claim the $10,000 winning ticket? >> exactly. >> could a lottery clerk be swiping a winner right out from under your nose. >> this is one big mix-up. >> that's what i'm saying. >> you didn't steal the ticket? >> i found it.

>> you didn't see the 10,000 because you didn't have your glasses on? >> yeah. >> will they take the money and run. >> i'm going to say everybody is accusing me and i don't give a [ bleep ]. >> chris hansen with a new hidden camera investigation from "the hansen files." welcome to "dateline," everyone. i'm lester holt. what are the odds? you have a lottery ticket in your hand, and it's a winner. it's not you who claims the prize. chris hansen returns tonight with a new undercover investigation into those clerks behind the counter. chris. >> thanks, lester. remember that charlie sheen catchphrase of a while back, winning? keep that in mind tonight, because we have lottery tickets that are winning and some lottery clerks who are not. it's the dream of striking it rich that making lottery big business in this country.

she didn't, and nationwide states take in almost $50 billion each year with a lot going into state treasuries. that's because the odds of winning big are minuscule. >> is this going to be the winning megaticket tonight? >> yes. >> it wasn't. if you're lucky enough to buy a winning ticket, most of the time you end up with the prize money, but not always. that's what willis willis of grand prairie, texas found out. in 2009 willis asked a clerk in this market to check a lottery ticket for him to see if it was a winner. the clerk told him it was worth $2. trouble was it was really worth $1 million. it was the clerk, not willis, who claimed the prize, and the clerk was the one who made off with the money. mr. willis still hasn't gotten all of his winnings. it was cases like that one in texas that got investigators in california wondering if they had

a problem with dishonest clerks, so a few years ago the california lottery pioneered a system to feret them out. for the last few years we've been following them on hidden cameras as they asked clerks to check tickets that were big winners. there was this store in riverside county. >> i don't think these are winners. can you check them for me, please? >> one of those tickets she gave the clerk was a $1,000 winner. he she went off to shop. when she came back, did the clerk tell her the truth? none of them were winners? all right. have a good day. >> the clerk told her all of her tickets were losers and kept the $1,000 winner for himself. a few months later i got to talk to him. you see, the reason why i know you're lying is because we can tell that you scanned that ticket, and you checked it and you found out it was a $1,000 winner. >> the clerk pleaded guilty to mishe

misdemeanor grand theft. then there was this clerk in san jose. >> i don't think these are winners. thanks. >> she left a $1,000 winner on the counter. when she came back zooish none of them were winners? >> no. >> does anybody every win on those things? >> instead of telling her she had a winner, the clerk kept the ticket. chris hansen with dateline nbc. the orn tried to claim the prize. later i spoke with the owner. >> you enlded up with the ticket and you claimed it. >> you see how that looks? >> very bad looking on me. >> both the owner and the clerk admitted their guilt and were fined. the owner also lost his contract to sell lottery it 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. >> wow! >> what? >> but then he calmed down. >> 173. it's nothing. you just missed. >> i missed it? i didn't win? no. >> thanks for checking. >> are you sure? >> instead of telling truth, he told our undercover player that our $500 ticket was a loser, kept the ticket and crumpled it up. when he we went back into the store, there he was studying our ticket. chris hansen with dateline nbc. how are you? >> good. >> the clerk denied checking the numbers, so i showed him the

tape from our hidden camera. >> wow! >> what? >> you initially say wow. why did you do that? >> i just said ha! >> seems like you have a winner. >> these things in the store -- >> you just say ha all the time? >> this is nothing. >> the clerk was never prosecute ford any crime, but the store owner told us he 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. >> heading 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. >> as in the california operations, the ohio lottery created a test ticket called rings of cash for the investigators. it's a guaranteed winner. >> going to the biondi's beverage in willoughby. that's set up here on the left. >> you're watching as a man heads into this store about 20 miles east of cleveland, ohio. he's holding three lottery tickets. >> boy, it's getting hot. >> one is 5i hundreda $500 winner. what the clerk doesn't know is that the player is an investigator from the ohio lottery checking to see if she's honest. will the clerk identify the 500$500 winner? when the investigator comes back to the counter -- >> 500$500. i'm dead serious. >> holy crap.

>> the clerk pays him $500 in cash. >> you didn't totally clean me out. >> 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? >> nop, nothing. >> nothing? no winners? >> 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$7 thousand$7,000 sweetening the pot when "the hansen files" continues. oh, hello. i'd like to tell you about netflix. it's an amazing service that lets you watch unlimited movies and tv episodes instantly. you

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>> going into a gas station with winning rings of cash ticket. >> an investigator is about to head into this gas station with three lottery tickets, two are losers, but the third is a $500 win er winner. the question is, will the clerk be honest? >> see if these are winners. >> the investigator leaves the tickets on the counter and does some shopping. when he returns he asking about the tickets. >> nope, nothing on there. >> no winners?

>> nah. >> 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 a500. >> 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 winner ticket from a loser, this lottery clerk says that's next to impossible. >> i mean, everything is regulated through the bar code and scanning. the computer does all 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? >> it was a winning ticket for $500.

it was a $2 ticket, and when it's validated it will past $500. >> the system requires the clerk to push a button acknowledging the ticket is a winner. >> if it's a winning ticket it will print through verification. >> that printout has a tim sfamp and ticket number on it. the terminal even emits an audio alert. an on-screen notice that can't be ignored, a printed receipt, and even a cheer. >> winner, winner! >> it's almost error-proof for us as a teller. >> the investigators move down the road. next stop, columbus. >> going to be going into in with winning rings of cash tickets, $7500 winner. >> at this store o'donnell instructs his investigator to up the ante and take in a $7500

winning ticket along with two losers. >> it's going to be hot again today. whoo. check them out for my brother. where is your water at? >> when the investigator comes back to the counter the clerk seems to be acknowledging they're a winner, but he's cagey about the amount. >> do you know how much it is? >> what is it? >> do you know? >> no, what is it? >> that's already been paid. >> that was going to cost a lot. >> the clerk tells him two of the tickets are losers, but he's holding the winning it ticket in his right hand. all along the clerk almost certainly knows the truth, but remember, if you scan the winning ticket, the terminal screen right in front of him is telling him it's a $7500 winner. >> that sucks. go figure. all right, is that it? later, bud. >> in the end, the clerk keeps

all the tickets. a real player would have announced $7500. >> he just stole it. >> now investigators will wait. >> if the clerk himself cashes it, you know, we'll go right ahead and charge them with the theft. if he has someone else cash it, we could charge that person with receiving stolen property. >> o'donnell and his team will be back, and we'll be right be right along with them. we understand you won a $7500 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.

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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 those clerks cashed the tickets themselves. now we're going back to find out why. we're headed to a gas station p in witcliff, ohio just outside of cleveland. the investigators went in with a $500 winner. it was the clerk in this store, rachel lorio, who told the investigator his $500 winning ticket was a loser. >> nothing, no winners? >> ohio lottery records show the $500 ticket was scanned into the store's terminal and again about 15 minutes later and three days later investigators say she

cashed in the ticket. lottery investigator jack 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 test her one more time taking in another $500 winning ticket to see if lorio will reveal it's a winner. >> can you see if any of those are winners for me, please. >> when the investigator comes back to the counter, she shows him the file claim printout. this time she does the right thing and accurately reveals it's aa $500 winner. >> do i cash it here? >> i cash it for you. >> she counts out the money. >> thank you. >> thank you very much. have a good day. >> you, too. >> now, i head in to speak with miss lorio. >> chris hansen with dateline nbc. we're doing a story testing the honesty of lottery clerks and retailers and you know that guy

that came in and got 500$500, you passed the test. >> good. >> i also tell her we know what happened to that other $500 winning ticket. i have mixed news for you today, because they also came in here to investigate you a few months ago. >> okay. >> it appears you did keep the $500. >> i don't think so. >> i show her the behind camhidden camera video. >> okay. >> nothing, no winners? >> nah. >> that's you? >> that is me. >> so the question is, rachel, what happened to that other ticket that was a $500 winner? >> it looks like it got thrown in the bar gaj. >> i got to get people. >> i know it didn't get thrown in the garbage because i know 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 got a lot of people that go through the garbage. >> she says that someone else must have found the ticket in the garbage. she says the store's lottery terminal wasn't working that day, and it didn't print out the receipt showing it was a winning ticket. lottery investigators say they have evidence her machine was working. remember, she didn't try to steal a ticket the second time around. >> do i go to a bank? >> no, i just cashed it for you. >> could there be a mix-up? investigators don't think so. >> my guess is that something today spooked her or today just wasn't the day she felt lucky. so she didn't try to take the ticket today. >> lorio later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft of that first ticket and was 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 investigator presented a $7500 winning ticket.

>> man, it's going to be hot again today. whoo. check they want 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's 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. >> is that good? 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 $7500 lottery ticket. >> who, me? >> did someone in your family win a $7500 prize in the lottery? >> i don't think so. >> was it your mom? was the ticket purchased here? >> no. actually, she found it. >> she found it? >> right away he changes his story. >> where did she find it?

>> actually i found it right here. >> you found it right here. then his story changes again. where was the ticket actually found? >> actually somebody dropped it right here. >> somebody dropped it right there? >> well, there's something you need to know. i'm chris hansen with dateline nbc. >> yes, sir, i know who you are. >> thank you very much. we're doing an investigation into the honesty of lottery retailers. >> i'm honest. i'm honest. you can tell anybody about that. we're a big dealer here. >> here's why i know you're lying. because when that man came in, he he was wearing a hidden camera. may i show you some video? the man was an investigator for the ohio lottery. that's you right there, right? you know how much you hit? what did you mean by that? >> i always speak. i always do. >> that would indicate that you at least knew it was a winning

ticket. >> at that time i didn't even cash nothing. i always ask people. people find them in the trash and bring them to me. >> one of those two has already been paid. >> they've been in the car for a while. >> here's the winning ticket in your right hand. >> no, sir. i remember it. it's like you're accusing me for stealing. that's what it is. >> the state of ohio is accusing you of stealing. >> jack o'donnell lets him know exactly what he's being accused of. >> we're going to charge you with felony theft. you should know that we know, we know that that ticket was scanned while our guy was still in the store. >> a few minutes later, he says he has more to say. >> i shouldn't even take something that's not mine. >> are you apologizing for in? >> i will, yes. i am apologizing to the customer, to my mother, 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 he any way he could be telling the truth about not having scanned that ticket prior to your investigator leaving the store? >> no, none. he we we know exactly the time he scanned the ticket, and when he did it produced a file coin. >> later he admitted guilt to a felony count of theft and was put in a diversion program that includes 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. you'd think every lottery clerk in the state would be wise to the operation by now. >> can you check those for me? >> well -- >> the other ones are not winners.

>> coming up, we up the ante. california clerks with 10,000 reasons to do the right thing. >> you won $10,000. >> what? you're kidding. >> or the wrong one. >> not a winner. >> woushgsw, not a winner. >> sounds like he just ripped her. >> when the han"the hansen files" continues. where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. and lunesta can help you get there, like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache dizziness and morning drowsiness.

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we've hit just about the entire state. this was the last of the areas that we had not really concentrated on. llegamos a una de las u >> 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 is leading the team. >> today we're going to do random checks of businesses. >> though the california lottery has conducted operations 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 along with 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 can you check them for me? >> the vast majority of clerks are honest and identify the $10,000 ticket. >> today is your good day. you won $10,000. >> what? you're kidding me? that one wins 10,000. >> are you serious? >> yeah. >> this is 10,000? holy cow. i don't believe that. my buddy gave it to me for my birthday. >> the time is 9:31. i'm entering gary market. >> watch what happens when the

female investigators goes into the geary and hyde market. >> how are you doing? >> she's. ♪ store? in the store. >> in the store and made the initial contact with the clerk. >> when she comes back to the counter, it's the moment of truth. well, maybe not the truth. were those losers? >> not a winner. >> not a winner? bummer. >> wow. not a winner. here we go. >> so he ripped her. >> sounds like he just ripped her. >> thank you now. have a good day. >> remember, this is just the first part of the operation. if anyone tries to cash in that winning ticket, investigators will be back, and we'll be right along with them. they move on to other stores. >> can you check those for me? >> this is the lincoln park liquor store. >> any luck with those? >> there was one $5. >> $5 winner. >> okay.

>> the clerk says the ticket is a $5 winner and gives him a new $5 lottery ticket. what happened to the other $9,995? the clerk at a mall's deli also takes the $10,000 winner and only gives the investigator 5 bucks. on to the fulton food shop where the $10,000 ticket doesn't even rate 5 bucks. along with that big wing hewinner, he she hands the clerk the two losing tickets. >> he gives back her losing tickets along with other losers he has stashed under the counter. >> i have a lot more if you want them. do you want them all? >> sure. >> the $10,000 winning ticket is not in that pile. the at this 7-eleven store the clerk doesn't identify the big winner either. >> are those losers?

i never win. >> he keeps the ticket but gives her encouraging words. were those words of wisdom worth the 10 grand she left on the counter? the investigators move to california's capital, sacramento, and run into this clerk at the flyer's shell station. will she identify the $10,000 winner? >> okay. >> the other one is not a winner? >> nope. >> i can throw them all away if you want. >> go ahead. that will work. >> 10 grand in the trash for now anyway. once again, lottery investigators will wait to find out p out pif anyone tries to cash in on tickets they say were losers. if they do, investigators will talk to them. >> do you have anything to tell me about the ticket. >> so will will i. >> have you seen our

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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. she was working as a clerk in a gas station, and she allegedly stole the lottery investigator's $10,000 winning bait ticket. this was berryman back at the

gas station. >> okay. >> the other ones are not winners. >> remember, she offered to throw the tickets in the trash. >> i can throw them all away. >> yeah, go ahead. that works. >> well, here she is at the lottery headquarters merely three hours after the investigator first handed her the ticket. she's putting in a claim for the $10,000. lottery investigator al chitster was impressed by her speed. >> she actually beat the investigators to the office in order to claim her ticket. >> before the investigators can get back to their office, she's there trying to claim the $10,000 winning ticket? >> yeah. she's probably quite likely the fastest claimant we've had in one of these cases. >> now investigators are going to her house to talk with her. they're recording with a hidden camera. >> the ticket that you submitted was stolen from undercover police officers.

>> her prize is a set of handcuffs. >> go ahead and put your hands in. >> second prize? a chance to speak to me. hey, nina. i'm chris hansen with dateline nbc. what happened here? >> i bought scratchers right before the lady came in. >> she tells me she purchased her own tickets just before the undercover investigator came in and got them mixed up with the tickets the investigator gave her. >> okay. >> and the other ones did not win. >> she scanned the $10,000 ticket. why didn't she tell the investigator one of the tickets was an winner? i show her the video from the hidden camera. that's you, right? >> yes. >> i can throw them all away if you want me to. >> yeah, go ahead. that works. >> berryman says shortly after that she left the store. >> i picked up the tickets i bought with my receipt. i have the receipt. i'm going to bring that in. >> you have the receipt for the tickets you bought. >> i don't have it on me, but

it's on record at the store. >> this is one big mix-up. >> yeah, that's what i'm saying. >> she sticks to her story. >> it was an honest misfaye and accident, and i'm going to show i bought my tickets that day. >> berryman never came up with the receipts, and needless to say never got the $10,000. just last week, facing three felony counts and possibly a long jail term, berryman pleaded no contest to one count, attempted grand theft. she'll be sentenced later this month. the lottery put the store on three years' probation with the condition that berryman could not work there. lottery investigators now go back to san francisco to visit another store they checked on during their first visit. the location is a 7-eleven here in san francisco 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 to talk it toto that clerk. we're doing a story on lottery tickets being stolen by retailers and employees. >> actually, you can't report it. >> i need to report it. >> if there is anything, we have -- >> media relations. >> can i show you a quick video? >> sure. >> this is a video taken a few months back. i play the video of him checking the tickets the investigator gave him. >> can you check mine for me? >> sure. >> you slide the tickets through the reader. one of them shows to be a $10,000 winner, but you told the investigator it was a loser. >> i didn't. >> yeah, you did.

>> i did not. >> here's why i know. the lottery keeps records on computer. okay? so it shows that you scanned it three times, and it comes out 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 have no idea. i have an attorney if it there is anything else. i have nothing to say. >> the clerk's attorney had no comment. the sister-in-law who put in the claim for the ticket never got the prize money and did not respond to our inquiries. the lottery fined the store and put it on three years probation with a condition that the clerk and his sister-in-law could not work there. the 7-eleven company told us that the business owner later fired them both because he thought they had attempted fraud, but the san francisco district attorney said at this point there was a lack of sufficient evidence to prosecute the clerk or his sister-in-law.

>> i never win. >> they have not been charged with any crimes. the team is continuing to confront clerks in san francisco. one of them is really fired up. >> i'm from lebanon. i'm going to pay back everybody if they accused me of it. [ bleep ]. >> coming up, she found a winner where? >> at the entrance and i saw it on the floor. >> the entrance to where? >> the -- >> where? >> i found it near my house. >> can't wait to hear the tale of the traveling ticket. next sunday on "dateline," we're back at it. >> this is where my hair was pretty much gone. >> sxwloints killmy joints killed me. >> i couldn't stand up. >> these women were poisoned by vitamins. >> somebody knew it and somebody covered it up.

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

we're headed to the lincoln park market, where lottery investigators presented three tickets, two losers and one $10,000 winning ticket. four days later, that clerk who was also the owner of the store, put in a claim for the $10,000 ticket. lottery investigators told him he'll be getting paid the $10,000 prize today, so at first he may think we're the prize patrol. mr. nguyen, how are you? nice to see you. sounds like you're going to get $10,000 today. are you excited about that? >> yeah. >> what are you going to do with all the money? >> fix my car. >> fix your car? >> yeah. >> there's something you need to know. i'm chris hansen with dateline nbc, and we're doing an investigation into stolen lottery tickets. >> stolen? >> stole lnen stolen. there is an indication you stole this lottery ticket. i show mr. nguyen the video from

the investigator's camera. >> one is $5. >> $5 winner? >> okay. >> two tickets. my ticket -- i scanned two. >> he says he got the $10,000 winning ticket mixed up with a small winning ticket he had bought for himself. >> i didn't wear the glasses before i saw the tickets. >> nguyen says he couldn't really see the tickets without his glasses. you didn't see the 10,000 because you didn't have your glasses on? >> yeah. >> as you can see, the investigator stopped by that day, mr. nguyen's glasses were perched on his nose, and he clearly doesn't identify the ticket as a big winner. >> won $5. >> $5 winner? >> yeah. >> okay. >> tell me what happened, what really happened. tell me the truth. >> he sticks to his story. lottery investigators stick on the handcuffs. later he pleaded no contest to a felony for filing a false claim.

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

ticket showed up at a shell station on the pacific coast highway about 14 miles from the original store. how did it get here? this is security camera video from that gas station showing that original clerk from the fulton food shop handing the ticket the to the gas station attendant, who scans the 10$10,000 winner. he gives the clerk back a ticket and 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 who filed the claim. she agreed to come in to speak with lottery investigators about the winning ticket. they told her it was just a routine interview, but they recorded it with a hidden camera.

she says she found the ticket lying on the ground. >> i was walking through the entrance, and i saw it on the floor. >> sfwrans to where? >> target . >> target. >> she found at a target store? if that's true, how did it end up on the sidewalk outside the target store here two days later and six miles away? investigators think the fulton food clerk gave it to her 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're 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 a target. i don't know. you can lie detect me, but it was like near -- it was on the street. >> what street was it on?

>> i found it near my house. >> so could the clerk at the fulton food up shop explain how she enlded up with the ticket? how are you? chris hansen with dateline nbc. we do a series of stories, maybe you've seen them on lottery tickets. i play him the video from the undercover camera that shows him holding the three tickets the investigator gave them. one of them, the $10,000 winner. you tell her all the tickets are losers. he denies he kept the ticket, and as my questions gets more pointed, he tries flattery. honestly, i'm a big fan. i don't want you to show me right now. >> thank you. >> honestly, i have to go. >> but you scanned it twice here, and then once at another location. you scanned it once here and once at another location. i appreciate that. just to be clear -- thank you. but my big fan clearly doesn't

want to answer my questions. later speaking to investigators, he denies he knows joanne, the woman who cashed the ticket. >> i'm asking you if you know who joanne? >> no. >> she didn't return calls or letters requesting comment. so we're left with this story of the traveling ticket. the clerk here at the fulton food shop didn't try to cash it himself, and no one knows how joanne ended up with it. 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. joanne never got any money, and the lottery investigators took their on own action and term nalted the store's contract it to sell lottery tickets. >> you need to your tell brother that he's losing his lottery contract.

>> we move down the road. we're going to a mall where a man allegedly stole a $10,000 bait ticket from lottery investigators. he put in a claim for the prize himself. when we arrive at the store, lottery investigators go in to arrest him. he's clearly not a happy man. >> hey, miguel. i'm chris hansen with "dateline." >> [ bleep ]. >> tell me what happened. >> they say i stole it. i didn't steal nothing. >> you didn't steal the ticket? >> no. i found it. i play like hundreds of dollars every week. everybody knows. >> where did you find the ticket? >> right there. >> right there -- >> it was there in the box. i don't believe what the government do. it's all [ bleep ] going after the poor people. in the end they're going to pay back. >> but the evidence is clear on this. >> no, no. i don't give a [ bleep ]. i'm not lying. i'm from lebanon. i'm going to pay back everybody if they accuse me of it.

i don't [ bleep ]. if i stole it, i'm going to do it my name? 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 investigator was there. a day later you scan it again. we know this to be true. is there anything else you want people to know? >> this is all [ bleep ]. >> thanks for your time. despite his protests, he later pleaded no contest to a felony, attempted grand theft. he was sentenced to 30 days in a work program, three years probation and fines. 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. this security chief retired shortly after this operation. you've been doing these investigations all across the state of california.

essentially what have you found? >> we found the majority of our retailers are honest people. however, there's a few bad apples in the basket, and that's the ones that we're trying to weed out. >> what message do you think this will send? >> hopefully for the retailers that we have not gone into, they'll get the message that we're out here doing this and that they need to straighten up their act, clean up your act and treat their retailers and customers with respect and honesty. >> chris, we would all hope they would clean up their act, but in the meantime for lottery players, how do they avoid having tickets taken? >> there are a few things folks should do. first off, check your tickets yourself. you can do that online for many games and scan your tickets yourself in the store. many states have automatic scanners that scan the tickets for you. most importantly sign the back of your ticket as soon as you buy it. that's the best way to ensure your ticket will not get stolen by anyone. >> chris, thank you.