By The Hays Daily News

Attorney General Steve Six, along with Kansas Lottery Executive Director Ed Van Petten, announced Monday that six people were charged with attempting to steal lottery winnings. The attorney general's office filed the charges last week in five counties.

Cheryl L. Krentz, Goodland, was charged in Sherman County.

As part of the Kansas Lottery Retailer Honesty Assurance Program and a statewide sting, undercover investigators visited retail stores with lottery tickets known to be winners. In six instances, the store clerk claimed the lottery ticket was not a winning ticket, when it was. The clerk then attempted to collect the prize personally or through another individual.

"This undercover operation was conducted to ensure that Kansans who play the lottery receive the winnings they are due," Six said in a press release. "I am pleased to work with the Kansas Lottery to eliminate illegal activity, such as theft, from the games hundreds of thousands of Kansans play each week."

Each defendant was charged with attempted theft, a level nine nonperson felony, and computer crime, a level eight nonperson felony.