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Partly Cloudy Storeowner, son charged in lottery scam
Police say the two tried to steal $1 million ticket from customer
Nabil Jaghab, an East Meadow resident who owns Peninsula Deli & Grocery in Hempstead, and his son, Karim, the store clerk, also of East Meadow, were arrested on Nov. 22 and charged with grand larceny for allegedly trying to steal a $1 million New York State Lottery ticket from a customer who purchased the winning ticket at their Hempstead store, according to Nassau County police.
A 34-year-old Hempstead man, who is Hispanic and does not speak English, entered the store on Peninsula Boulevard on Nov. 21 and purchased a scratch-off lottery ticket for $10, police report. The man, whose name has not been released, believed he had a winning ticket, and handed it to Karim, 26.
Karim scanned the card, and a New York Lottery message — informing him to return the ticket to the customer with a claim receipt — confirmed that it was a winner. But instead of following the protocol, police say Karim told the man that he won $1,000, which he paid to him.
Police said that the man returned to the store the next day to question Karim, said he would give him $10,000 if he did not involve police. Nabil Jaghab, 57, who was present at the time, police said, confirmed to the man that he only won $10,000.
Still wary of the two men, the Hempstead man called police, and a joint investigation by Hempstead Village police and Nassau Third Squad detectives concluded that the father and son had attempted to deceive the man and claim the winnings for themselves.
Police also said that any prize worth $600 or more must be redeemed at a New York State Lottery office, and not at the place of purchase.
In response to the incident, Christy Calicchia, a spokeswoman for the New York Gaming Commission, said, “The matter is in the hands of law enforcement at this time. We stand ready to cooperate with law enforcement to provide whatever data or information they need.”
Since the investigation is ongoing, Calicchia could not confirm if or when the man would receive his winnings.
Nabil and Karim Jaghab were both charged with second-degree grand larceny, and were arraigned on Nov. 23. Their Mineola-based attorney, Matthew Flesicher, of Jaghab Jaghab & Jaghab, P.C., did not return a request for comment.
