North Carolina mom with 4 kids, one with cerebral palsy, has winning Powerball ticket

[n2doc]

Source: KDVR

SHALLOTTE, N.C. — One of the three winning tickets in Wednesday’s massive Powerball jackpot belongs to a 26-year-old North Carolina mother with four children, one of whom has cerebral palsy, WECT reported.

Marie Holmes bought the ticket at a Scotchman convenience store in Shallotte, N.C. She takes home part of the $564.1 million jackpot.

The ticket is worth $188 million in an annuity paid over 30 years or Holmes can take $127 million in a lump-sum payment before taxes.

“I thought I was going to have a heart attack when I saw the ticket and checked it,” Holmes said.

Read more: http://kdvr.com/2015/02/13/north-carolina-mom-with-4-kids-one-with-cerebral-palsy-has-winning-powerball-ticket/

[redstatebluegirl]

1. So happy this went to someone deserving.....

I hope she gets good financial advice so it lasts. I would have to move and leave no forwarding address or my relatives would be on my doorstep.... .

Good for her!

[mmonk]

45. +1

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. How good to see her winning!

Here's someone who can really use the money.

[bravenak]

3. Perfect!!!nt

[Baitball Blogger]

4. I'm guessing that this one will be allowed to pass the judgmental minds who

were upset about the winner from Puerto Rico.

[TNNurse]

21. Really

She is black and on welfare..... they will eat her alive, too.

[kentauros]

62. I'm also guessing that she will be given a pass

by the judgmental minds around here that always have to tell us the odds and mock any of us for having dreams or any sense of fun.

[bigdarryl]

5. My prediction is Three years from now she will be broke

Unless she hires a very good financial adviser like Lou Hutt

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

12. I would recommend she takes the annuity since she's only 26.

[INdemo]

35. Yes I agree

That would be about 4.2 mill per year after taxes

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

42. The worst she can fuckup is one year at a time. She'll have time to learn.

[TeamPooka]

22. That happens to a lot of lottery winners. nt

[yellowcanine]

27. If she takes the annuity and hires a good financial adviser maybe not.

Too many people though, think, "what could go wrong since there is so much money?" Turns out, a lot.

She has already messed up though by identifying herself so soon. Many big winners wait until they have lined up a good lawyer and financial adviser before claiming the prize. There usually are ways to claim the prize without publicly revealing your real name.

[Kelvin Mace]

6. Her life is about to get very problematic

The very last thing I would do would be to let my name go out to the press that I had a winning ticket. She is going to be hounded by every relative, friend, grifter, and hardship case in the state.

[Catherine Vincent]

19. Most certainly

[romanic]

24. I don't think she has a choice.

Most national lotteries force winners to be publicized before handing out the money.

[calimary]

29. Welcome to DU, romanic!

Glad you're here! I hope she doesn't get taken in by a bunch of fly-by-nights. She can use that money. Anyone with a special-needs child deserves extra help.

[Kelvin Mace]

43. They force the person owning the ticket

to identify themselves for tax purposes. I would take my winning ticket, find a good law firm, create a Chapter S corporation that's sole asset would be the winning ticket. The law firm would be listed as the corporation's officers, I would be the sole shareholder. Since it would not be a publicly-traded, the shareholders need not be revealed (this would require incorporating in Delaware if memory serves). The corporation would cash ticket, pay the taxes, and then pay me dividends (which would also be taxed, but I am willing to pay for the privacy).

My name stays out of it and I don't have to put up with the hassle that come with publicly having a sudden huge sum of money.

Barring that, only play in the states that allow you to remain anonymous.

[demwing]

39. That's the kind of problem I wish I had

The more you say no, the easier it gets...

[appalachiablue]

50. Me too.

[appalachiablue]

51. ME too! What a problem to have- Such a deserving lady & family, great.

[GreatGazoo]

57. yes. I would sign up with Lifelock and then disappear for a couple years.

tour the world, see and do and learn a lot more THEN make more decisions about how to spend the rest of the money and the rest of my life.

[Myrina]

7. ... and the sad thing is, every penny she's ever recieved in state or fed assistance ...

.... is going to be garnished from whatever payment option she selects.

I had something similar happen when my dad passed away several years ago & his estate went thru probate. Even though I had worked and paid into the 'social services' system with my tax dollars for some 20 years BEFORE the accident. the state was first in line ordering me to pay back every penny I'd received in medical assistance and food stamps from when I was injured in a car accident while pregnant & not able to work for a year.

There is no statute of limitations as to when they can come at you with a bill for any and everything they've ever helped you with, should you get a break financially.

[kelliekat44]

13. I am sure she can cover it. Welfare assistance ain't that much relatively speaking. nt

[jwirr]

26. That is for sure.

[Myrina]

44. I guess that's my point ...

... her disabled daughter is going to need a lifetime of care that's going to cost her a TON out of pocket.
And she's got other kids.

In my case, my inheritance from my dad was $26,000. And the state asked for 15,000 back. I was a full time single mom, student and only working part time. The money they 'took' essentially put me right back on the edge of being 1 disaster away from needing assistance again, except that I was aterisked out of eligibility because of the full inheritance amount. Oh and I had to pay income taxes on it too.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

60. god, that's not fair.

I hope you're well past that now!

[Myrina]

63. Yes, thanks .... we are ....

They literally do anything they can to KEEP you poor. IMHO, a winning like that lottery ticket - or any kind of inheritance etc should earn you a 'congrats, have a nice life, please don't call us' note from the gov't but instead they take juuuuust enough of it away to keep you on a tightrope. I'm certain mine wasn't the only instance.

[TeamPooka]

23. 127 million. I think she'll be okay. nt

[jwirr]

25. Medicaid has been this way for many years. I can see the reasons for this law - many of my

richer neighbors would give the farm to their sons and daughters and then go to the nursing home and let Medicaid pay for it. Today that can no longer happen because Medicaid can ask for the money out of the estate. When my grandmother went into the nursing home all she had was a house. The county asked that it be sold and the money used for her needs. That is why they bought their home as part of their retirement plan and she was proud to pay what she could.

I did not know that anyone ever had to pay back for food stamps. It is a federal program not a state program.

[kelliekat44]

8. Just made my day. I hope she gets good honest legal advice with this. nt

[Fred Sanders]

9. Meanwhile tens of millions of other poor people are spending their cash NOT winning a thing.

Lotteries are a backwards, backdoor tax on the poor and a Pablum for real solutions to poverty.

[monmouth4]

14. Well, that isn't her problem and if those tens of millions spend their cash that way,

it is their cash. I wish her well...

[Fred Sanders]

15. My opinion of lotteries is in the minority, tens of millions of tickets purchased makes that clear.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

32. Bu bu but it lowers property taxes!

[F4lconF16]

40. Yeah that's always my first thought when I hear these things too...

How many people had to lose for her to win? I have nothing against her, but I do against the people who perpetuate and revel in a system that creates very few winners at the expense of millions.

[notadmblnd]

46. But the expense of millions is voluntary and most of them aren't poor

If you look at past winners, most have been solidly middle class (not hurting for nothing). Besides, no one is required to buy lottery tickets. I don't.

I'm more happy for the lady in need that won than I would be for someone that won and didn't really need it.

[F4lconF16]

49. That's not really true.

Gambling can be an addiction that is just as strong as chemical dependency, and it very much hurts the poor. Lotteries are pretty terrible institutions.

Awesome video by John Oliver, who does a great job on state's lotteries:
http://gawker.com/john-oliver-shoots-down-every-reason-for-playing-the-st-1656769898

A good summary of why lotteries hurt the poor disproportionately:
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/05/20/2035751/lottery-powerball-poverty-state-budgets/

One of the studies that was linked in the above article:
http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2008/July/july24_lottery.shtml

An explanation of how the lottery hurts the local economy of the place it's in:
http://www.salon.com/2013/04/15/10_reasons_state_lotteries_ruin_the_economy_partner/

More anti-lottery stuff from a less liberal source, if you want it:
http://www.businessinsider.com/lottery-is-a-tax-on-the-poor-2012-4?op=1

[notadmblnd]

56. thanks for all the links. I will explore them

[F4lconF16]

58. Happy to do so. Have a good day :) nt

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

10. Now I don't mind losing!! Great news!

[kelliekat44]

11. She can afford it now and she and her children will need some physical protection..it was NC

and haters are out there.

I feel really joyous about this. I have a CP person in my extended family and I am friends with two people (or was friends with two...one died a few years ago.) This young girls had her hands full. I hope and pray for all the best for her.

[Politicalboi]

16. I bet the father of her kids comes back too

Money has a way of bringing shit into your life even if you don't want it. I hope she is happy, and doesn't have too many take advantage of her.

[appalachiablue]

53. The creeps will come out it's unfortunately true. Hope she has a good head, BS detector or

knows some one who does, for her protection. Hard to think that way but stuff happens.

[benld74]

17. Good for her and her family. May it bring them what they require.

[Jackpine Radical]

18. I just reallyreallyreally hope this is a blessing for all.

So many people are actually destroyed by the sudden landing of all that money, but this young lady sounds not only deserving and in need of it, but it sounds like she's got her head screwed on pretty well:

When she was asked if she’s ready to deal with that much money, Holmes said, “I’m ready for it. I’m ready to embrace the change. I’m very grateful for what’s about to happen for my family.”

Holmes plans to set up college funds for her children and buy a new house

.

[shenmue]

20. Cool

[Dawson Leery]

28. Coming forward was a massive mistake.

She needed to get an attorney with expertise in estates AND taxes. Let them make an investment trust for her winnings and keep your head low.

[packman]

30. Makes me feel a little bit better

that the $20 I spent on it eventually ended up doing some good.

[yallerdawg]

31. The first thing she said she'd do is tithe.

Because without God, she wouldn't have won.

Now, do we tithe before or after taxes?

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

33. After taxes of course!

[LanternWaste]

36. You should buy more lottery tickets and show her how it's supposed to be spent.

You should buy more lottery tickets and show her how it's supposed to be spent.

[yallerdawg]

37. I'm in Alabama.

We don't lottery, you know. But we tithe a lot!

[C Moon]

34. That is so awesome to hear!

[Gothmog]

38. Good for her

[heaven05]

41. I am so happy for her

I am sure it can help her. I just pray it doesn't cause her more grief. Big money has a way of doing that. I send her good vibes....

[CONN]

47. fraud?

seems that a lot of folks related to owners of convenience stores are the 'lucky' winners.

see story in Asbury Park Press on this phenomenon:
http://www.app.com/story/news/investigations/2014/12/05/nj-lottery-investigation-ticket-discounting/19948363/

just wonder if someone handed the uncle tickets to check....

[druidity33]

52. she didn't buy a scratch ticket...

is she somehow related to the store/owner that sold her the ticket?

[CONN]

54. she supposedly bought it from her uncle

see story : http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/n-mother-claims-win-part-564m-powerball-jackpot-article-1.2114097

says she "bought" ticket from her uncle. I'd say play the camera at time ticket was purchased to see who actually bought it.

From Asbury Park News (NJ):
The serial prizewinners who are also lottery merchants — mostly mom and pop-type store operators — stretch across the state, from Paterson in the north to Atlantic City, the Press found.

A leading lottery statistician calculated that some of these people would have to have spent more than $1 million on tickets over the course of their winning streaks to be so successful.

[druidity33]

55. yeah but

the other article you pointed to said the potential fraud involved scratch tickets. Did she buy more than one ticket? Are you suggesting this is somehow fraud? How do you propose that was managed?

[CONN]

59. ah ok... not just scratch off

Here's another story that mentioned Pick4 number games:
Report: Half of N.J.'s most frequent lottery winners are lottery retailers, family members
http://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2014/12/report_njs_most_frequent_lottery_winners_are_lottery_retailers_family_members.html

So someone hands the clerk a few tickets to check. He looks and says sorry handing back, but switching out the winner

[druidity33]

61. why are you claiming fraud?

Just because other people have done it, you suspect this woman? Really? Maybe she frequents her uncle's store because he's, well, her uncle... you know, shopping at a "family-owned" business is always better.

:eyeroll:

[CONN]

64. not claiming fraud- just questioning and pointing out study that 50% of winners are connected(eom)

[Enthusiast]

48. Yay!

[Greybnk48]

65. Well this is a feel good story!

I guess I can quit cursing the winners of "my" money! It's people like her (and me) that I always hope will win.