Teenager Involved in Lottery Theft Scheme Takes Plea Deal

SAN ANGELO, TX— One of the men involved in the Wal-Mart lottery theft scheme has agreed to take a plea deal.

Carmelo Amigleo, 19, has agreed to take a plea deal for his involvement in the lottery theft scheme where over $1 million was stolen from Wal-Mart.

According to court documents, on July 18, 2024, an investigator was contacted by a Walmart global investigator who informed him that Walmart corporate was investigating fraud of lottery ticket redemptions.

Through that investigation, it was learned that Munoz and Amigleo were allegedly creating fraudulent winning lottery transactions and taking cash from the register. The transactions were believed to be in the amounts of $300 to $500. These fraudulent transactions mainly involved removing money from the register and pocketing the money. On some occasions, however, the funds were transferred to a debit card.

The investigation also revealed that the fraudulent transactions occurred between January 1, 2024, and July 4, 2024, and the amount taken was approximately $747,933.

According to the San Angelo Police Department, over $1 million was taken over some time. The Walmart investigator said that by expanding the search dates an even greater amount of money stolen would be revealed.

A follow-up was conducted by the local investigator, who took him to Munoz’s residence. A silver Chevy Camaro was parked in the driveway. The investigator took the plate number and conducted an inquiry. It was learned that the vehicle had been purchased from "Pee Wee Cary Fairly Reliable Used Cars" in Weatherford, Texas.

The owner was contacted by the investigator who said that they sold Munoz the Camaro on January 9, 2024, for $32,500. Munoz paid the full amount in cash.

Further into the investigation, both Munoz and Amigleo had purchased two 2024 Kawasaki dirt bikes from Family Power Sports in San Angelo. A sales manager said that both Munoz and Amigleo had come into the store together and bought the dirt bikes. One cost $8,602.12 and the other cost $6,737.22, which was all paid in cash.

On July 30, 2024, the same Walmart Investigator said that another Walmart associate, Grant, had also created fraudulent lottery-winning transactions. In one instance, Grant would take winning lottery tickets from customers, not scan them in the lottery terminal, and then would keep the winning ticket after paying the customer. On February 18, 2024, a customer had a legitimate winner for $110 but Grant keyed in $310 for a loss of $200, which he pocketed.

The fraudulent transactions by Grant occurred between February 18, 2024, and April 28, 2024, and the amount taken by him was approximately $76,165.41. This amount was only calculated within the provided time frame.

Grant left Walmart on April 29, 2024, to pursue other job opportunities, according to court documents. 

On August 2, 2024, Munoz and Amigleo spoke in a non-custodial interview with investigators. Amigleo said he was taught the lottery fraud scheme by Grant, who he watched on several occasions take money from the register after completing fraudulent lottery transactions.

In exchange for a guilty plea, Amigleo will be sentenced to eight years deferred adjudication and must pay $732,744.00 in restitution. A judge has not yet signed off on the plea deal.

Co-defendant Ryan Munoz is due in court on December 3, 2024, for a pre-trial hearing and has a jury trial currently set for March 14, 2025, and Zkel Grant, the other co-defendant, currently has a jury trial set for January 21, 2025.