CHICAGO (CBS) — A Wheaton man has been charged with stealing Illinois Lottery scratch-off tickets from a 7-Eleven in Elmhurst, and prosecutors said they believe he’s been stealing lottery tickets from convenience stores for months.
DuPage County prosecutors said 37-year-old Yonas Beyene has been charged with one count each of continuing financial crimes enterprise, burglary, and retail theft.
On Dec. 22, 2024, Elmhurst police responded to a call of a lottery ticket theft at the 7-Eleven convenience store at 155 E. First St. Prosecutors said an investigation determined Beyene came into the store around 11:17 p.m. on Dec. 21, and talked to the clerk, who let him stay inside to get warm and charge his phone while waiting for a ride.
Around 1:45 a.m. on Dec. 22, while the clerk went to the back cooler in the store, Beyene reached around the Illinois Lottery display and removed $730 worth of scratch-off tickets from behind the counter, and ran off as the clerk returned from the cooler.