Key keywords: Walmart cashier lottery theft, DeLand man winning lottery receipt, Volusia County sheriff investigation, hidden lottery ticket accusation, Florida retail lottery fraud, $1 million winning lottery ticket, Walmart DeLand store incident, felony lottery theft charges Volusia County law enforcement officials announced felony charges against a 28-year-old Walmart cashier earlier this week, following allegations that she stole a $1 million winning Florida Lottery scratch-off ticket from a 67-year-old DeLand resident during a routine checkout last month. The incident took place at the Walmart location on Woodland Boulevard in DeLand on October 12, according to official arrest reports. The victim, identified as local retiree Arthur Smith, told investigators he stopped at the store to purchase groceries and three $20 Florida Lottery scratch-off tickets as part of his weekly routine. When he finished loading his items onto the checkout counter, he handed all three tickets to the cashier, later identified as Maria Gonzalez, to scan for winning values, a standard free service offered at all Florida retail locations licensed to sell lottery products. Surveillance footage recovered by store management and law enforcement shows Gonzalez scanned the first two tickets, both non-winning, before pausing for several seconds when the third ticket triggered a $1 million grand prize alert on her register system. Footage confirms she then slipped the winning ticket into the inner pocket of her work apron instead of returning it to Smith, before verbally telling him all three tickets were non-winning. She threw the two non-winning tickets in the public counter trash bin in front of Smith to support her claim, leading him to leave the store unaware he had purchased the top prize ticket. Gonzalez attempted to claim the $1 million lump sum prize at the Florida Lottery’s Daytona Beach district office three days later, but lottery compliance officers flagged her claim immediately after cross-referencing the ticket’s purchase timestamp with store surveillance footage, which showed the ticket was purchased by an older male customer rather than Gonzalez. Officials contacted the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office to launch a formal fraud investigation the same day. Detectives reviewed 72 hours of store surveillance footage, cross-checked transaction records, and interviewed Smith, who confirmed he had purchased three scratch-off tickets during his October 12 trip and was told none were winners. Gonzalez was arrested at her home on October 21, charged with first-degree grand theft and organized scheme to defraud, both felonies that carry a maximum combined sentence of 30 years in prison if convicted. Walmart officials confirmed Gonzalez has been terminated from her position, and the company is fully cooperating with the ongoing investigation. The Florida Lottery has confirmed Smith will receive the full $1 million prize as the rightful owner of the ticket.