When a California State Lottery agent went  undercover April 9, 2014 and handed a Van Nuys mini-mart clerk a decoy winning lottery ticket for $20,000, the clerk allegedly told the undercover agent the ticket was not a winner.    The very next day, that same clerk and her fiance are accused of trying to redeem the ticket, claiming it was theirs.

The clerk, Kamrun Nahar Nipa, 24 and her finace, Miggel Hewage Wijesena, 28, now face felony charges including conspiracy to commit grand theft, attempted grand theft of personal property, perjury by declaration and presentation of a fraudulent claim.

“State lottery agents work to ensure the integrity and  security of the Lottery and to protect consumers from fraudulent activity,” said Alan Barcelona, president of the California Statewide Law Enforcement Association which represents California Lottery agents.  “How many other tickets has this clerk, or any other clerk, cashed in on?”

If convicted as charged on all counts, the clerk and her fiance  face a maximum possible sentence of three years and eight months in county jail.