An Indian-American convenience store manager was arrested in Miami after police accused him of stealing more than $300,000 worth of lottery tickets from his workplace, Local 10 reports.
Miami police said 34-year-old Rakesh Tanguturi managed the Bargain Stop Market II in the Little Haiti area. He was arrested Monday on two felony charges. He faces charges of organized scheme to defraud and grand larceny in the first degree.According to the arrest report, the owner called them on Jan. 23 after seeing that thousands of dollars had been taken from the store’s bank account for Florida Lottery transactions.
The owner began checking the problem about a week after noticing the unusual pulls.Investigators said the owner linked the missing money to Tanguturi. He “initially denied any involvement or wrongdoing,” but later admitted in a text message to taking the ticket books, “cash them and use the proceeds for personal expenses,” police said.
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Police estimate Tanguturi stole more than $300,000 worth of tickets.
However, they said he paid back a significant portion of the money, leaving the store with a net loss of about $60,000.“Tanguturi stated that he had begun making payments on the store and requested to be placed on a payment plan to pay off the remaining balance,” the report said. “He claimed his actions were motivated by the need to pay for medical care for his father in India, who has since died,” she added.A Florida lottery investigator discovered that the stolen ticket books “were dispensed in large quantities at a single retailer,” which is “unusual and indicative of fraud,” police said.After the owner appointed a new manager, the police went to the store and arrested Tangutori. He is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on $30,000 bail. Police also said an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer has been placed in custody.
