Aiken County Man Faces Four Fraud Counts for Passing Stolen Lottery Tickets

South Carolina Law Enforcement Division charged a 37-year-old man with four counts of intent to defraud involving counterfeit game tickets. John Benjamin Martin tried passing stolen lottery tickets at the same store twice.

Arrest warrants show Martin attempted to pass stolen tickets at Mo's Convenience Store on Sand Bar Ferry Road in Aiken County. The first visit was Nov. 29, 2025. He returned Dec. 10, 2025. On Nov. 29, warrants claim he tried passing stolen tickets twice within minutes of each other. When Dec. 10 rolled around, Martin showed up at the identical location and attempted the same scheme twice more, spacing his visits just over an hour apart.

Martin was booked into the Aiken County Detention Center on Tuesday. SLED opened its investigation after the South Carolina Education Lottery asked for help. This state agency oversees lottery operations and partners with law enforcement when fraud surfaces.

The 2nd Circuit Solicitor's Office will prosecute. This circuit covers Aiken and Bamberg counties.

Warrants specify Martin passed "a quantity of stolen SC Lottery tickets" at the convenience store located at 1214 Sand Bar Ferry Road. All four incidents occurred at this spot. Less than two weeks separated the first and last attempts.

SLED announced the charges Friday in a news release. The agency investigates major crimes and helps local law enforcement throughout South Carolina.

Each count of intent to defraud involving counterfeit game tickets carries potential penalties under state law. The charges stem from incidents in late 2025, but the arrest didn't happen until more than three months later.