Woman accused of participating in syndicate that committed crimes over the span of four months
By Kate Northrop
A Kentucky woman faces 76 counts in connection with theft of over $123,000 in merchandise, consisting of Kentucky Lottery tickets and other stolen goods.
Louisville Metro police (LMPD) charged Telnesha Antnetta Brown, 18, of Louisville, with 76 counts related to theft of over $123,000 in merchandise, including lottery tickets.
She received 37 individual counts each of complicity to burglary and criminal mischief, as well as single counts of complicity to engage in organized crime and complicity to receive stolen property over $10,000.
Between April 19 and August 24 this year, a criminal syndicate broke into 37 different businesses across Louisville and stole various merchandise, including Kentucky Lottery tickets, LMPD reported.
Lottery security officials and LMPD detectives worked together and found that the tickets were being cashed shortly after they were stolen from retailers. Before the thieves would cash the tickets in, they would scan each one using the Kentucky Lottery mobile app to see if they were winners.
At every store that was robbed and at the stores where stolen tickets were redeemed, surveillance footage showed the same people committing the burglaries and cashing in tickets.
August 24 marked the last hurrah for the group of criminals, who attempted to burglarize a convenience store on Taylorsville Road in Jeffersontown. As usual, the thieves stole lottery tickets. Detectives were notified of the burglary, and Lottery officials tracked that the tickets were being cashed at Shorty's Food Mart on W. Broadway in Louisville.
A detective made their way to Shorty's Food Mart, where police say a 17-year-old got into a Jeep Cherokee driven by Brown. According to an arrest report, police stopped the vehicle on Dixie Highway and found the teen in the back seat behind the driver, Brown, who had a gun in her waistband.
At that point, detectives said, Brown put the car in reverse and hit their vehicles in an attempt to flee.
Brown was arrested and read her rights, after which police say she admitted to being involved in the crimes and using her phone to scan the stolen tickets on the Lottery's mobile app. In total, there were six people involved in the crime syndicate.
Over the course of four months, police say the theft ring stole over $123,000.
Brown was arraigned in Jefferson District Court and pleaded not guilty. She was booked into the Home Incarceration Program and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on September 1.
Telnesha Antnetta??? Her problems started at birth when her parents attempted to name her "Television Antenna" but couldn't figure out how to spell it .
she is named after relaying a message: "tell nesha aunt netta says hello."
Omg lol lol I think you broke the internet with that comment.
"At every store that was robbed and at the stores where stolen tickets were redeemed, surveillance footage showed the same people committing the burglaries and cashing in tickets."
definitely are not the sharpest knives in the drawer
There goes her law school or med school dreams
First I have heard of this, didn't see it on the news. Sadly nothing will probably come of this. On Grand Jury 2 years ago in Shelby County and though it is hearsay on this post, local cops would tell us cases don't go anywhere in Jefferson County. We don't play in this county, 8 miles from that county where this occurred. Though not lottery related, this gal from Indiana would steal stuff from stores here and also take the outside styrofoam coolers outside. We indicted her.
Had to laugh @ the comments. At my hospital many of the kids would have names that I'd joke (and others) looks like letters were grabbed from a hat for the kid's first name. My favorite? A Ray of Sunshine!
welp, it was that or Credenza
Thats because she was conceived in a Van and it had a leaky gas tank so the fumes caused mental imparement...also the antenna in question was on top of the van which is why, to this day, she suffers from Van Aerial disease...but you already knew that...