CHICAGO – An Illinois lottery employee faces criminal charges for reportedly stealing books of instant lottery tickets and redeeming winning tickets for cash.

Proescutors have charged Dean F. Derrick, 57, an Illinois Department of the Lottery employee from Springfield, with 14 felonies. Charges include four counts of theft of governmental property, seven counts of official misconduct and three counts of wire fraud.

According to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Dean Derrick allegedly stole books of instant lottery tickets from retailers while working as a lottery sales representative. Derrick removed certain books, which he then took to separate retailers to redeem for prize money.

Raoul alleges Derrick gave a certain number of stolen winning tickets to another man, Frazier R. Mack, who also redeemed the winning tickets. The alleged crimes occurred between March 23, 2022 and April 13, 2022.

“State employees are charged with carrying out the work of the public. That trust is broken when an individual seeks to personally profit from their position,” Raoul said. “I appreciate the partnerships of both the Illinois State Police and the Illinois Lottery in this investigation, and I will continue working to hold public employees accountable for abusing their positions and taking advantage of the public.”

“The Department of the Lottery collaborated closely with authorities as soon as we became aware of the matter. Our dedicated sales representatives are entrusted with safeguarding instant tickets in their possession, and they take that work very seriously. Allegations of this nature are extremely rare, and we work closely with authorities to investigate and prosecute any such issues,” said Illinois Lottery Director Harold Mays.

Derrick surrendered to the Sangamon County Jail on Wednesday after an arrest warrant, while Mack was also arrested Wednesday. Both are jailed on a $15,000 bond.

Mack, not an employee of the Illinois Lottery, was charged with two counts of theft of governmental property. Derrick could face up to 78 years in prison on his charges, while Mack could face up to 14 years.