Michigan Mega Millions Winner has to Share $38 Million with his ex-wife

Mega Millions Lottery ticket

How would you like to have to share your lottery winnings with your ex-wife?

One lottery winner had to do just that. Richard Zelasko with the $80 Million prize from the Mega Millions lottery jackpot in July 2013, and was ordered by the Michigan Court of Appeals to share his winnings with his ex-wife.

After taxes and fees, his total prize came to $38,873,628.00 USD and he had to share it with his wife - Mary Elizabeth Zelasko. They filed for divorce in 2011, but they were still waiting for legal arbitration with Richard Zelasko won the Mega Millions Lottery. Because the divorce was still in arbitration, the court ruled that Richard Zelasko must share the lottery winnings with his ex-wife.

Richard Zelasko's divorce was officially finalized in 2018.

$530 Million Mega Millions Winner in San Diego, California

Mega Millions Winner

The Mega Millions Winner has not come forward yet...

On Friday 07 June 2019, there was one winning Mega Millions lottery ticket sold in San Diego, California. The winner has not yet come forward as of 08 June 2019. The cash prize at the time of drawing is $530 Million USD. California is a great place to win in a lottery, because the lottery winnings are not taxed, however California does not allow a lottery winner to stay anonymous. The state of California does give lottery winners up to a year to claim their prize.

The winning numbers for the Mega Millions lottery ticket were: 17 - 19 - 27 - 40 - 68  Mega Ball 2

It is important that the winner of the latest Mega Millions to take precautions to stay safe, as lottery winners are often targeted by scammers. Some of these scammers pretend to be an old friend or a relative.

Anyone that thinks they are being targeted by a scam should immediately contact their local police.

Powerball Lottery Winner Claims $425 Million on April Fool's Day

Powerball Lottery Tickets, (source: Flickr CC; by Claire P.)

A winner for the $425 Million Powerball Lottery has stepped forward to claim his prize on April Fool's Day. B. Raymond Buxton is the winner of the Powerball Lottery. This is what he has to say on it:

"Unbelievable! is all I could muster...once the initial shock passed, I couldn't sleep for days." B. Raymond Buxton checked his ticket over and over in disbelief. He could not belief that he won, and wondered if it was real.

B. Raymond Buxton has been playing the Powerball Lottery for 20 years, and it is finally paying off for $425 million.

$425 Million Powerball Winner has a great sense of Humor

B. Raymond Buxton went to the California Lottery Headquarters in Sacramento to claim his $425 million in winnings on April 1, 2014, and it was no joke, although he has a great sense of humor.

B. Raymond Buxton claimed his winning ticket wearing a Star Wars shirt that read: "Luck of the Jedi I have."

What the Powerball Lottery Winnings will be used for

B. Raymond Buxton has stated that he will use the winnings to set up a foundation for pediatric health, ending child hunger, and improving education.

B. Raymond Buxton really doesn't want to get media attention for being a Powerball winner, and doesn't want to share his age or previous job information for security reasons.

This winning ticket was bought at a convenience store in Milpitas, which is 10 miles north of San Jose, CA.

The Powerball Lottery is available to play in 43 states, plus Washington D.C. and U.S. Virgin Islands.

Statistic: The actual odds of winning the Powerball Lottery are about 1 in 175 million.

B. Raymond Buxton Email Phishing Scam

If you receive any kind of email from someone claiming to be B. Raymond Buxton, it is a scam. The real B. Raymond Buxton is not emailing people, wanting to give away his winnings.

February 2015 Powerball Reaches $450 Million

The Powerball prize amount has risen to $450 Million USD after no one claimed the prize award in this multi-state Powerball. The next Powerball drawing will take place on Wednesday, February 11, 2015. This February 2015 Powerball is one of the highest payouts ever.

Puerto Rican Powerball Winner wants to be Anonymous

One winner of the $564 Million dollar Powerball in February 2015 chose to stay anonymous, and rightly so.  People claim to be relatives and hassle Powerball winners for money if their name is publicly announced. The winner of the $564 Million powerball can take a lump sum of $101 Million or receive 30 payments over 30 years.

January 2016 $1.5B Powerball Winner Rumor

Snopes.com debunked the rumor that a winner of the $1.5B Powerball Lottery in January 2016 died of a cocaine overdose. This was not the case.

According to the rumor:

1 out of the 3 winners was 32 year old James Hugston. His lump sum pay out was an estimated $327 million dollars. His first large purchase was a multi-million dollar home. James Hugston was then found dead over a kilo of cocaine.

This rumor was "fake news" reported by the website TmzWorldstar.com, which has been known to launch other fictional stories in the past.

Win the Mega Millions Lottery Prize, but not with this Phishing Scam

Mega Millions lottery ticket (source: Flickr CC; by Robert S. Donovan)

The Mega Millions Lottery Phishing Scam Email Reads as Follows:

Attn Lucky Winner,

The Team of Mega Millions is Pleased to officially announce you as the Third place prize winner of the Ten Million ($10,000.000.00) prize draw sponsored by Publishing Clearing House. The total amount to be claimed for Fourth place is Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000.00). 

Congratulations! You are one lucky winner.

Mega Millions will make all necessary arrangements for you to receive your prize.  Please contact your Prize Claims Agent or representative immediately to avoid delays as you can contact him via e-mail at: (gmorgan734@yahoo.ca) or through telephone listed below.

Your Claims Agent is: George Morgan (+19406031164)

Your Security Code is: H649PC32 As required by US Federal and State laws, your Security code and Prize information must be kept strictly confidential which means that you are precluded from discussing your win with 3rd parties such as (family members, friends and relatives). This is to prevent unlawful tampering and a means to reduce risks of fraud and scams from taking place.

As soon as we verify your identity and Security Code number from you, we will immediately release your total sum through wire transfer into your nominated bank account or as you wish us to remit your fund for you.

Once again, Congratulations from the MEGA MILLIONS team.

Eric D. Burns

Chief Financial Officer

Mega Millions Lottery

Would the Mega Millions Lottery Really Email Me?

Note from Blog Post Author:
It is important to note that no legitimate lottery would ever email the winner of the lottery. The lottery winner usually has to be the one to come forward to claim the lottery prize, otherwise it is forfeited. Lotteries are in no hurry to give away the prize cash. In fact, they would rather that no one claim the winning ticket.

Keep this in mind if you receive bogus emails claiming to be from the Mega Millions Lottery. It is most definitely a phishing scam.

Two Americans Win the Real $400 Mega Millions Jackpot

March 2014 - Two winning tickets for the sixth largest U.S. lottery prize were sold in Florida and Maryland. Florida sold its ticket at Sunoco on Merritt Island and Maryland sold its ticket at Lady's Liquor in La Plata.

The winning numbers were: 11 19 24 33 51 07

This one was the real lottery, and not a scam. Winners have 180 days to claim their winnings.