A Freeborn County District Court judge Monday sentenced an Albert Lea man to 90 days in the Freeborn County jail for his part in an area lottery scheme.

Peter Jay Engen, 33, will receive credit for 54 days already spent in the county jail and may have credit for additional time served in another county. Adding together these credits, he may not have to serve any additional time.

Engen pleaded guilty earlier this month before Judge Steve Schwab to one count of receiving stolen property, a misdemeanor, tied to the scheme. He was involved with redeeming more than 50 stolen lottery tickets at various gas stations and a grocery store in the Albert Lea area.

He had initially been charged with state lottery fraud.

His plea was classified as an Alford plea, in which a defendant maintains innocence but admits the prosecution has enough evidence to convict, usually of stiffer penalties.

Co-defendant Justin Leroy Rickert, 34, also of Albert Lea, last Thursday pleaded guilty to his initial charge of state lottery fraud. He is slated to be sentenced Dec. 5.

According to court documents, investigation into Engen and Rickert began after deputies with the Waseca County Sheriff’s Office were looking into a burglary of Dave’s Grocery Store in Waldorf on Dec. 25.

During the investigation, they found out multiple lottery tickets had been stolen.

Authorities obtained a list of all the lottery tickets at the store at the time of the burglary, along with all of the places where the stolen tickets had been redeemed, including several gas stations and Nelson’s Market Place in Albert Lea from Dec. 25 to 27.

Engen and Rickert were reportedly identified from the store surveillance, according to court documents.

In the hearing Monday, Schwab also sentenced Engen to an $80 fine.