BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. — A Berkeley County woman is facing multiple lottery fraud charges after investigators say she stole scratch-off tickets from several convenience stores and attempted to cash them across two South Carolina counties, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
SLED announced that Denise Antionette Maxwell, 35, of Goose Creek was charged on Jan. 14, 2026, with two counts of intent to defraud involving counterfeit game tickets in Charleston County. She was booked into the Charleston County Detention Center, where the case will be prosecuted by the 9th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
The following day, Jan. 15, Maxwell was transported to the Dorchester County Detention Center and charged with two additional counts of intent to defraud involving counterfeit game tickets. Those charges will be handled by the 1st Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
Authorities say all four charges stem from a single investigation that spans both counties and was requested by the South Carolina Education Lottery.
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According to affidavits filed in the case, the alleged incidents all occurred on July 24, 2025, and were captured on surveillance video.
Investigators say Maxwell stole five scratch-off lottery tickets from Rivers Mart on Rivers Avenue in North Charleston, then later redeemed those tickets at a business on Dorchester Road in North Charleston for cash prizes totaling $100.
In a separate incident that same day, Maxwell is accused of stealing four scratch-off tickets from a Circle K on West Aviation Avenue. Authorities say she attempted to redeem those tickets at a Gas-N-Go on Rivers Avenue in North Charleston but was unsuccessful. That theft and attempted redemption were also caught on video, according to investigators.
Affidavits further allege that Maxwell stole additional scratch-off tickets from a Speedway on Ashley Phosphate Road. Investigators say she passed one of those tickets to an unknowing third party in the parking lot of another Speedway location on Ladson Road in Summerville. That individual later redeemed the ticket for a $20 cash prize.
In another Dorchester County incident, Maxwell is accused of redeeming five stolen scratch-off tickets at a Parkers convenience store on Ladson Road, collecting $15 in winnings. Investigators say the tickets had also been taken from the Speedway on Ashley Phosphate Road earlier that day.
