Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s Office announced today that a former Illinois Lottery employee has pleaded guilty to and was sentenced for stealing books of instant lottery tickets and redeeming winning tickets for cash.
58-year old Dean F. Derrick of Springfield pleaded guilty today to one count of theft of governmental property, a Class 2 felony, and one count of official misconduct, a Class 3 felony. Sangamon County Circuit Judge Ryan Cadigan sentenced Derrick to 2 years probation and ordered him to pay over $8,200 in restitution. As part of his plea, Derrick also agreed to a substance use disorder evaluation and treatment.
Raoul charged Derrick and co-defendant Frazier R. Mack in March of 2023 after an investigation found Derrick stole books of instant lottery tickets from retailers while working in his official capacity as a sales representative for the Illinois Lottery. Derrick removed certain books, which he then took to separate retailers to redeem for prize money. Raoul alleged Derrick gave a certain number of stolen winning tickets to Mack, who also redeemed the winning tickets. The alleged offenses occurred between March 23, 2022 and April 13, 2022.
Mack’s case is pending, and his next court date in Sangamon County is scheduled for Feb. 20th.