Cashing in SC lottery ticket for $10 prize lands man in jail, cops say

A Columbia man was recently arrested after he cashed in a winning lottery ticket, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. The scratch-off ticket had been stolen, SLED said in a news release.

On Sept. 19, Allen Jay Rowe was charged with intent to defraud, counterfeit game tickets, according to the release.

The 37-year-old Rowe stole two packs of lottery tickets from the Circle K store at 927 Elmwood Ave., an arrest warrant shows. That’s near the end of I-126 and downtown Columbia.

The stolen packs of scratch-off tickets were valued at $600, according to the arrest warrant.

On Sept. 1, Rowe went to the Quik Trip gas station/convenience store at 8205 Two Notch Road where he cashed in a ticket for a $10 payday, the arrest warrant said. The Two Notch Road store is also in Columbia, about 9 miles from the store where the tickets were stolen.

Rowe was identified by law enforcement officers and recorded by surveillance cameras in both stores, according to the arrest warrant.

Rowe was booked into Richland County’s Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, SLED said. On Sept. 21, a $1,087.50 personal recognizance bond was posted, Richland County court records show. That’s more than 100 times larger than the payout that led to Rowe’s arrest.

Rowe is scheduled to return to court Nov. 20, according to judicial records.

Rowe will be prosecuted by the 5th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

If convicted on the felony charge, Rowe faces a maximum punishment of 5 years in prison and a $50,000 fine, according to South Carolina law.

The SLED investigation was requested by South Carolina Education Lottery.

When Rowe was taken into custody, he was out on bond from two arrests in 2025, court records show. In August 2025, Rowe was charged with shoplifting (value more than $2,000 and less than $10,000) and posted a $1,500 personal recognizance bond, according to court records.

In December, Rowe was charged with drug possession and receiving stolen goods (value $2,000 or less) and bond was set at $9,625 on the combined charges, court records show.

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SLED Charges Richland County Man with Lottery Fraud | South Carolina Law Enforcement Division