Virginia Man Thrilled, Still Shocked by Second-Tier Prize
He’s a Powerball veteran with tickets for just about every drawing and who knows almost everything about the game, but when his eyes told him that his ticket correctly matched five of the six winning numbers recently, his mind when blank. The Northern Virginia player simply could not believe that he’d won a $1 million prize.
“It wasn’t until I got here and talked to the people at the Lottery office that I really believed I had won,” the 36-year-old electrician told officials. “I knew it was real after looking at the winning numbers a week or so ago, but somehow I just didn’t accept it.”
The Powerball drawing that produced the win occurred back on May 4. When officials asked why the winner had waited three weeks to claim his $1 million, he said, “I wanted to talk to some people before I came in, to get some advice about the process.”
The Powerball fan plans to take a vacation in the near future to get some quiet time to ponder just what he’ll do with is winnings. “I have some ideas, but I want to make sure I do it the right way.” While he doesn’t plan to stop working and may go back to school, he wants to focus considerable attention on programs that create opportunities for the less fortunate to improve their lives.
Powerball luck found this winner at East Liquors, 6367 Livingston Road in Oxon Hill. As he left Lottery headquarters, he still seemed to not grasp his good fortune. “How can this be happening to me? How can I be this blessed?”