Mt. Pleasant Township woman accused of taking $100,000 in lottery tickets from machine at pizza shop

A Mt. Pleasant Township woman is accused of taking $100,000 worth of instant lottery tickets from a South Greensburg pizza shop where she worked, according to court papers.

Kimberly Morris, 59, was arrested Monday on charges of theft and receiving stolen property.

The owner of Falbo’s Pizzeria reported to Westmoreland County detectives in December that weekly audits of a Pennsylvania Lottery machine in the Reamer Avenue store regularly found that money collected for instant game tickets was deficient. Lottery officials investigating the situation in 2019 suggested an employee may be responsible, according to court papers.

Morris oversaw the lottery machine during her employment between 2018 and 2020 and typically worked 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., which left her unsupervised in the building for much of her shift, according to authorities. After the visit by lottery officials, Morris admitted to the owner that she had been taking the tickets. During an interview with detectives, Morris said the administrative duties allowed her access to the lottery tickets without paying for them.

A review of the owner’s bank records showed $102,000 was deposited to account for the loss of ticket sales, police said. Morris never made an attempt to pay the money back.

She is free on her own recognizance. Morris did not have an attorney listed in online court records, and she could not be reached for comment. A preliminary hearing is set for Aug. 28.