Luck runs out for man who won $700 off stolen lottery tickets, deputies say

NEWNAN, Ga. - A Newnan man may have thought fortune was in his favor when investigators say he swiped lottery scratch-off tickets, worth several hundred dollars, off a gas station counter. The Coweta County Sheriff’s Office says he even hit a $700 jackpot, but this week he faced a $3,000 bond to get out of jail.

Joe Cypranowski was charged with shoplifting and tampering with the lottery, a felony.

"In the state of Georgia, if you steal a $1 ticket, doesn’t matter how much it is, if it’s one single ticket or if you steal 900 tickets, it’s automatically a felony, no matter what," said Coweta County Sheriff’s Investigators Christian Spinks.

Deputies say Cypranowski was at the Raetrac located along Amlajack Blvd. on Sept. 8 when he spotted a stack of lottery tickets, worth about $1,200, sitting on the counter. The store clerk was updating the inventory in the display at the time.

Joe Cypranowski (Coweta County Sheriff's Office)

Cypranowski pocketed the tickets, deputies say, and walked out the door. Store surveillance video caught the whole thing, investigators say.

The Coweta County Sheriff’s Office this week shared images of the theft on its Facebook page. He was quickly identified.

Investigators say Cypranowski cashed in the winners at Publix and Kroger grocery stores.

He was booked into the Coweta County Jail.