ANTIOCH, Calif. - A 32-year-old Antioch man has admitted running a theft ring that made off with $95,565 in California State Lottery tickets and collected $59,105 in prize money, prosecutors say.
Ryan Anderson pleaded guilty Friday to masterminding thefts from more than 100 convenience and grocery stores in seven counties, the Contra Costa District Attorney's Office said.
Anderson and his associates would steal California Lottery Scratchers by distracting the clerk at a given store and then cash in the winning tickets at a different store, said Ted Asregadoo, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office.
The ring targeted stores in Contra Costa, Alameda, Marin, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, and Stanislaus counties between March 27, 2022, and October 25, 2022.
Under state laws, the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office was able to prosecute Anderson for all his crimes, even though they crossed county lines.
Under terms of his plea, Anderson will spend three years in state prison and pay full restitution to the California State Lottery.