KC Reporter

A woman from Mt. Vernon, Missouri has been indicted by a federal grand jury for orchestrating a conspiracy to purchase almost 2,000 lottery tickets using stolen credit cards.

Amy Young, 31, was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Missouri. The indictment alleges that Young procured stolen credit cards and spearheaded a conspiracy to use these stolen cards to buy lottery tickets from a Phillips 66 Fuel Station in Joplin, Missouri between July 22 and August 18, 2022.

According to the allegations, Young enlisted others to contact the Missouri Lottery Commission to secure cash prizes for any winning lottery tickets that were fraudulently purchased using the stolen credit cards. A portion of the money was kept by these individuals while the rest was handed over to Young.

The indictment further states that Young used the stolen credit cards to purchase at least 1,957 Missouri Lottery tickets valued at $62,082. Moreover, Young and her co-conspirators received $54,248 in cash prizes for the winning tickets bought using the stolen credit card numbers.

In total, through fraudulent credit card transactions and unlawfully obtained prize money, Young and her co-conspirators allegedly amassed at least $116,330.

The current indictment charges Young with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of wire fraud. This latter charge relates specifically to the fraudulent purchase of $480 worth of lottery tickets with a stolen credit card on August 18, 2022.

It should be noted that these charges are merely accusations at this stage and do not constitute evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting these charges must be presented before a federal trial jury whose duty it is to determine guilt or innocence.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney is prosecuting this case which was investigated by the FBI.