Lottery Winners Who Ran Out Of Luck After Winning

If you had one wish, what would it be? Most people will choose to win the lottery. Some people want a big mansion or a fancy car. Others just want to relax and not have to worry about paying bills. Either way, being handed millions of dollars is an experience no one will pass up. In 2015, everyone’s dream became a reality for Marie Holmes. The poor single mother played the North Carolina Powerball lottery for $188 million!

There is a much bigger chance to get struck by lightning than to win the lottery. However, the stars aligned in her favor, and Holmes was one of three lucky winners! Unfortunately, this money that was supposed to help her family ended up hurting her. She went down a financially and emotionally draining spiral. Check out these big winners who may have wished they didn’t even win the lottery in the first place.

Lara and Roger Griffiths

Before winning the lottery, Lara and Roger Griffiths had a stress-free marriage. They reportedly never even fought or argued. In 2005, the couple won a $2.76 million lottery jackpot! After winning, the couple bought a million-dollar barn-converted house in England. They also bought a Porsche and took lavish vacations to places such as Dubai and New York City.

According to multiple media reports, they lost their fortune in 2010. A fire destroyed their house, which was sadly uninsured. They were forced to pay for the repairs and seven months of temporary housing. Shortly after, Lara confronted Roger about emails suggesting he might be interested in another woman and claimed to suggest he then drove away in the Porsche. What a way to end a 14-year marriage.

Bud Post’s Nightmare

After winning $16.2 million in 1988, it’s hard to believe William “Bud” Post was $1 million in debt within one year. Bud had stated that he wished he never won the Pennsylvania lottery and said: “It was totally a nightmare.” Most people fantasize about having this kind of money. What could have possibly happened to ruin this Dream?

Well, first of all, his ex-girlfriend successfully sued him for a third of his winnings. However, that’s not even the crazy part. His brother got arrested when he allegedly hired a hitman to kill Bud, in the hopes of inheriting some of the money. After sinking money into his family business, Bud was drowning in debt. He then spent time in jail for firing a gun at a bill collector. Bud told Washington Post that he was much happier when he was broke. He lived on $450 a month and food stamps until he died in 2006.

Sharon Tirabassi Returned to Her Old Life

Sharon Tirabassi was a single mother living off of welfare up until 2004. It was that year when she won the lottery and cashed a check at the Ontario Lottery for over $10 million Canadian. She spent her money on a big house, fancy cars, parties, and trips and helped out family and friends.

Less than 10 years later, Sharon was back to riding the bus, renting out a house, and even getting a part-time job. She told The Hamilton Spectator that “All of that other stuff was fun in the beginning, now it’s like back to life“. Fortunately, Tirabassi put some money aside for her six children in trust funds. The kids can have access to the money when they turned 26.

Evelyn Adams Gambled It Away

Evelyn Adams got lucky when she won the lottery in 1985. Against all the odds, she won again in 1986. The New Jersey girl had $5.4 million in winnings before losing it in the worst way possible. She gambled it all away in Atlantic City.

In 1993, Adams told the New York Times that she was constantly being harassed for money after she received so much publicity for winning. “I was known and couldn’t go anywhere without being recognized,” she said. So she gambled it away.

Was Gerald Muswagon’s Millions Worth His Life?

Gerald Muswagon was the lucky winner of the $10 million Super 7 Jackpot in Canada in 1998. Reports state that he wasn’t able to handle the instant money and fame that came his way. He used his money to buy some new cars for himself and his friends. He then bought a new house which became the nightly ‘party pad’ filled with drugs and alcohol. It was also reported that in one single day, he bought 8 big-screen TVs for his friends.

Muswagon also wanted to be smart and invest. He decided to pour his money into a logging business which ultimately failed due to low sales. Gerald was then forced to take a job on his friend’s farm just so that he would be able to buy food. Unfortunately, Gerald hanged himself in his parent’s garage in 2005.

Suzanne Mullins Stuck in Debt

In 1993, Suzanne Mullins won $4.2 million in Virginia. She split the yearly payments three ways between her husband and daughter. Mullins was left with just about $47,000 a year and quickly found herself in debt. Her lawyer reported that she spent $1 million on her son in laws medical bills since he didn’t have health insurance.

She used her next few payouts to take out a $200,000 loan with a company that works with particular people. Lottery winners who need money faster. Mullins later switched to a lump-sum payout but never paid back her loan. The company won a lawsuit against her for $154,000. However, winning the suit was worthless because Mullins has no assets.

Americo Lopes Lied About Winning

Americo Lopes was a construction worker when he won the New Jersey lottery. When he won, he did what most people would do, and he quit his job. The strange part was that he lied about it and pretended he needed foot surgery.

After confessing to one of his co-workers, the truth came out. He and some other co-workers ganged up against Lopes for not splitting the winnings as he promised. In a fraud suit, his co-workers claimed that they all pitched in for that ticket. He was ordered by the court to split the money.

Ibi Roncaioli Murdered over Money

Ibi Roncaioli was an Ontario resident who walked away with $5 million when she won the Lotto in 1991. However, she didn’t tell her husband Joseph Roncaioli how she was going to spend it. Joseph, a gynecologist, was not pleased when he found out that Ibi gave $2 million of her winnings to a secret child she had with another man. However, what happens next is even more shocking.

According to The Toronto Star, When Joseph found out about what she did with some of that money, he was so angry. So angry that he poisoned her with painkillers and killed her. He was convicted of manslaughter charges. He also reportedly asked Ibi’s family to help pay the bill for her funeral. The Nerve!

Michael Carrol Wasted It All

The worst possible thing that you can do is hand over millions of dollars to a teenager. That’s exactly what happened in 2002 when Michael Carrol won ($15 million) jackpot at just 19 years old.

Carrol was working as a garbage man when he won his millions! Unfortunately, the money was gone within just five years. Supposedly he spent it on drugs, parties, and prostitutes. Exactly what you would expect from a 19-year-old. Now he is trying to get back his old job.

Andrew Jackson Broke from Robberies and Casino

In 2002 West Virginia native, Andrew Jackson Whittaker Jr. won a $315 million multistate Powerball draw. After taxes, the contractor walked away with $114 million. Unfortunately, that’s where his lucky streak ended.  In 2003, thieves stole the $545,000 that Whittaker left in his car. One year later, he lost another $200,000 the same way. His fortune was gone within four years. Caesar’s Atlantic City also sued him, claiming he had bounced $1.5 million in bounced checks.

Now let’s dive into Marie Holmes. She went from Rags to Riches before sadly losing it all.

Nobody More Deserving

Marie Holmes was a 26-year-old single mother. She supported her four children by working two jobs. Although working at both Mcdonald’s and Walmart wasn’t easy, she did what it took to support her family. Unfortunately, Holmes had to quit both of her jobs after one of her kids was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

Taking care of four children is tough for most parents. Imagine how tough it must be when one of the children has a disability plus, you’re raising them alone. For Marie, the stress became unbearable. All this single mother wanted to do was to take care of her children. After having to leave both of her jobs, she had no idea what she was going to do to support them.

Dreams Come True

In February 2015, Marie stopped at a gas station and thought she could maybe spare a few dollars on a lottery ticket. After all, the North Carolina Powerball jackpot was $564 million dollars! After finally returning to her trailer home, she found out she had the winning lottery ticket! What are the chances?

Holmes’s reaction after winning the jackpot was, “I thought I was going to have a heart attack when I saw the ticket and checked it.” For that specific jackpot, two other people had winning tickets as well. Holmes only won a third of the money, but nobody was complaining.

Slow Down

How much money did you ever win playing the lottery? Maybe fifty or a hundred dollars, on a scratch-off ticket? Most people don’t win anything life-changing. In fact, you have a much bigger chance of getting struck by lightning than to win the lottery.

The lottery commission forces all places that sell the tickets to pay up to $599 dollars in winnings. Marie Holmes and all the big winners have to go through an annoying process to even claim their winnings. After this long procedure, Marie won $188 million.

A Millionaires Choice

For those of us who never won the lottery before, here’s how it works. You first have to verify the ticket by filling out some paperwork. Next, you wait for the money to get distributed. Only then, the winner decides if they want to receive the money all at once, or if they would rather receive the full amount but, in installments for thirty years.

Marie Holmes had a tough choice to make. She had to decide whether she wanted to receive her $188 million spread out over thirty years or to just take the $127 million on the spot. It may not seem like it’s such a difficult decision but think about it. If you decide to take it at once, you are getting a considerable amount less. By considerable, I mean millions.

Decisions Decisions…

However, financial experts have stated that you should take the lesser amount and invest it. Investments will be much more profitable over thirty years than what the lottery commission offers. So basically, if you take the lesser amount upfront, you will make more money in the long run.

The reason why we don’t really hear about people who decided to spread out the payments is that most people don’t do that. If you’re lucky enough to actually win, you will probably want to take it all at once, which is what Holmes ultimately decided to do.

High Taxes

To us, non-millionaires, $127 million doesn’t seem too bad. Even if it is a $51 million difference, it really makes sense because when you come from nothing, $1 million is already an incomprehensible amount. So naturally, $127 million doesn’t seem that much different than $188 million. Unfortunately, Holmes wasn’t aware that there were more deductions to come.

The money you receive after winning the lottery is taxed just as if it were income, on a federal and state level. When you take the money in installments, North Carolina takes 5.8% of the winnings, and the Federal government takes no less than 25%. If the winnings reach the highest tax bracket, they can take up to 39.6% of that money. Marie Holmes may have had to pay up to $50 million, depending on how she was taxed.

Big Dreams and Noble Plans

Everyone fantasizes about what they would do with the money if they ever won the lottery. Holmes was no different. Holmes dreamed of moving her family out of the trailer; she wanted to set up college funds so her kids won’t have to worry and even pledged to donate money to her church.

Holmes explained her decisions when she spoke to NBC News after winning. “All the struggle that I ever went through, it was all for them. I want them to understand that money doesn’t change you, but it can help you.”

No One Saw It Coming

Holmes was described as the type of person who understands the value of a dollar. That’s not surprising based on her past struggles and working two jobs to support four children, one who had cerebral palsy. Now that she had the chance to stop worrying and focus on her family, nobody ever expected her to take it for granted.

Despite her past hardships, money does change people. Soon after, the deserving single mother who went from rags to riches became the person everyone turned against.

Winner Be Careful

It’s important for lottery winners to hire a financial counselor or already established multi-millionaires to help them learn how to invest their money wisely. It seems impossible to ever spend that amount of money. However, financial experts say that it can disappear quite quickly if it’s not properly invested.

Like any mother, of course, Holmes wanted to use the money to benefit herself and her children’s life. Sadly, some selfish decisions she made caused her to go down the wrong path.

Bailing Out the Boyfriend

The excessive spending began when Holmes spent $15,000 on a diamond Rolex watch for her boyfriend, Lamar McDow. This amount of money felt like pocket change compared to the millions she now has. Unfortunately, her boyfriend took way more than that. When he was arrested in 2014, Lamar had only $100 in his bank account. Now, his rich girlfriend can bail him out no matter how much it costs.

Lamar McDow has denied the allegations that his girlfriend spent $21 million on his bail. What he did say however was, “So many people are going on that she has paid $21 million to get me out of jail, but that ain’t true. It’s just 10 percent.”

A New House

Before being sent to jail in 2014, McDow used to live with Holmes and her family in their trailer. When he was finally released from jail, Lamar moved into the new $350,000 house that Holmes bought after she won the lottery.

The report also exposed how much money Holmes received in total after taxes and deductions. She received $88 million, which is way less than the $188 million that she originally won. $88 million dollars still sounds like a very large amount of money, especially for someone who went from rags to riches. Unfortunately, Holmes soon learned that $100 million dollars actually does make a huge difference.

Everyone Wants Money

What happens next is not very surprising. Since becoming famous for winning the lottery, friends and family were asking for some money. When you have that kind of money, what’s $10,000 for a good friend? Or a new house for your favorite aunt?

Even though her friends had good intentions, it got to the point where Holmes was constantly being harassed for her money. Every time she got a call, she knew it was for money. She told McDow, “When money comes, there are more problems.” If only she knew how right she was.

Mean Neighbors

After winning the lottery, Holmes immediately moved her family out of their trailer park home. They all moved into a very expensive house. They were some of the only African Americans in their new affluent white neighborhood. Sadly, racial prejudice still exists in the world, and the family began being harassed by their neighbors.

McDow said to the Daily Mail that “One neighbor set up a camera to record everything we were doing. If I was driving down the road and going at the speed limit, they would wave at me for going too fast. They did not want us there. They were prejudiced.”

Giving Back to the Church

Holmes loved going to the Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church. It was her sanctuary ever since she was a kid. She took the teachings of the church and tried to demonstrate them in her daily life. To show her love and appreciation to the church, Holmes pledged 10% of her winnings to charity.

Maybe if Marie Holmes claimed her money secretly and was able to give anonymous donations, it would be harder for people to take advantage of her. However, unlike other states, in North Carolina by law, all big lottery winner names are published for the public record.

Donations

Ten percent of $88 million dollars is a lot of money for anyone. Even the most honorable institutions will use some of that large amount on unnecessary things. Still, Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church has held a special place in her heart and life. The first thing she promised, but was to give 10% of her winnings to charity.

She began by donating $700,000 to the church that she had gone to for years with her family. They used the money for overdue and very much-needed repairs.

Lying Pastor

Kevin Mathews, a pastor who was not even affiliated with Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church, began getting involved with Ms. Holmes and the rest of her family. The pastor claimed that “God led him to them” even though they had no idea who he was before they won the lottery. The family believed him and invited him into their home for ministerial services. He was even going to help McDow make better life decisions.

Pastor Mathews began feeling really comfortable. He even had the nerve to ask Holmes for one and a half million dollars so that he can build a retreat. Although the agreement was never put in writing, Pastor Mathews says that Holmes verbally agreed to give her the money. Instead of waiting for the money, the pastor built the retreat with his own money.

Pastor Trying to Sue

Pastor Mathews publically came out about how he intends to sue Ms. Holmes for $10 million dollars. I don’t know where that number came from considering his retreat cost only $1.5 million to build. It’s clear that this is one greedy pastor. He was trying to get a larger portion of the 10% that Holmes promised to donate to the church as well as other charities.

Since nothing was put in writing, Pastor Mathews didn’t have much of a case. He did, however, claim that “Because of the emotional distress and mental stress they put me through, I had to start taking more medicine for anxiety and depression due to this situation.”

Greedy Pastor

As soon as this story hit the headlines, peoples were outraged. Everyone was so angry that some greedy pastor was trying to sue a noble church-going woman. People started calling him out for being a fraud. A YouTuber even came out with multiple videos titled “F*** You Kevin Matthews.”

Given the circumstances, it was very unlikely for a sane lawyer to take on this case. I mean, there was no contract or any kind of written agreement between Holmes and the pastor. Pastor Matthews hesitantly refused to give the names of his lawyers to reporters stating: “The motion hasn’t been completed.” Sadly, it is very obvious at this point that the greedy pastor was trying to slander Ms. Holmes.

Cheating Boyfriend

Unfortunately, what hit the news next was even more devastating for Ms. Holmes and her children. Somehow it was revealed that Holmes’ was being cheated on by her ex-convict boyfriend. Reports then started circulating about how Holmes decided to pay off the mistresses instead of dumping the sleazy boyfriend.

In a viral Facebook video, an unnamed woman confirmed that McDow was indeed cheating on Holmes. In addition, he was using his girlfriend’s money to pay for ‘sexual favors’ from multiple other women.

Gaining Back Control

Whether you have money or not, it takes a very special type of person to be able to pick themselves up after suffering misfortune. Despite the negative headlines and all this money, Ms. Holmes stayed strong and chose never to give up. The lottery winner is now an inspirational woman who managed to regain control of her life.

When her life began spiraling out of control, Holmes appeared on Iyanla: Fix My Life Talk Show. This show is on the Oprah Network, and it features Lyanla Vanzant, who is a relationship expert, author, motivational speaker, and life coach.

The Secret of the Winning Numbers

It’s not uncommon to use birthdays or wedding anniversaries when choosing numbers in the lottery. We consider numbers that are important to us as lucky, so it’s normal to pick them when deciding on the numbers to put on the magical ticket. When Holmes appeared on Iyanla: Fix My Life Talk Show, her mother Fontella came out with a shocking confession.

Fontella actually picked the winning numbers but allowed her daughter to believe her numbers won. She explained that “I kept dreaming about your brother that we lost. His birthday, he was the third child, he would have been 25 that year. Those were the numbers.” Marie Holmes was in disbelief and asked her mother why she didn’t tell her this before. Fontella replied saying that she wanted her daughter and grandchildren to have a better life.

Hot Sauce

Holmes bailed Lamar McDow out of jail three times. He was also known as ‘Hot Sauce’ by his fellow gang members. McDow was dating Holmes right before she won the lottery and was in jail at the time due to drug charges. As soon as she won, Holmes bailed her gangster boyfriend out of a three million dollar bond. Of course, he immediately and selfishly took advantage of Holmes.

Less than a year later, Hot Sauce was arrested again in July. Once again, her kind heart bailed out McDow for a six-million-dollar bond! Like most convicted gang members, McDow did not change his behavior. He continued to cheat on his girlfriend and used her money for his own pleasure. Hot Sauce clearly learned nothing from his past mistakes when he managed to get himself arrested for the third time. This time Holmes had to pay a twelve million dollar bond. I would have let him rot in jail.

Boyfriend Problems

At this point, it was almost inevitable that Holmes would face some serious problems if she stays with her loser and criminal boyfriend. When he was arrested for the second time, McDow violated his mandated curfew. The police found marijuana in the house when they came in; Holmes was also charged with possession. The saddest part is that this all took place in front of the children.

Marijuana has become very common in the United States, especially in recent years. Unfortunately, people of color can be demonized for it and are more likely to get arrested for possession. Medical marijuana is allowed in 30 states, and the legalization of recreational marijuana is permitted in just ten. Sadly for Holmes, neither of these forms is permitted in North Carolina.

Angry Gangster

The convict was not pleased with the way the media was slamming his girlfriend for posting his bail three times. “We are a couple, and I am the father of her youngest child. This is what people do for each other. She has the money, and she can do what she wants with it,” McDow told the Daily Mail.

He went on to state that “If I had the money then I would do the same for her. People are just jealous because of how much she won, and people want to see me locked in jail.”

More Drama

Whole taping Iyanla: Fix My Life, two more things made the news. After hearing her mother explain what really happened with the lottery ticket, people began accusing Holmes of stealing the ticket. It made no difference that Fontella straight up said on the same show, that she gave her the ticket willingly.

During the taping of the show, Holmes also found out that her boyfriend was heading back to jail. How surprising. Only this time, it was a seven-year sentence for possession and distribution of heroin. After winning those lucky numbers, things seemed to go from bad worse in Holmes’s life. Most people would reach a breaking point but not Marie Holmes.

Kept Promises

Despite not always making the right decisions, Holmes stayed strong and kept her integrity. She kept her promise of giving 10% of her earnings to charity, which ended up being $9.7 million. Part of the money was used to set up another charitable organization. It’s called The Marie Holmes Foundation and is located in North Carolina.

Holmes decided to mirror the foundation after her own life experience before she won the lottery. When she was a single mother working two low-wage jobs to support her family. She had to leave both jobs because one of her children was suffering from cerebral palsy and had to worry about his medical bills. The Marie Holmes Foundation helps provide for struggling families and underprivileged children. The charity holds large events where school supplies and toys are donated.

Isn’t She Christian?

Marie Holmes considered herself a devout Catholic. It was strange to some that she even bought a lottery ticket because the Christian Church tends to be against gambling. However, it’s hypocritical to believe so. One pastor told the Christian Church, “You can’t be against the lottery, but your youth department is doing a RAFFLE! Same thing pastor. SAME THING!”

He continued explaining, “You can’t be against the lottery, and you have a prize of $500 for whoever brings the most people on friends and family day.”

Money Is The Root Of All Evil

However, in the same article, a different pastor cited bible sources that specified that money is the source of evil. “Now having said that, let me first tell you that the biblical principles that would dissuade a Christian from gambling are several. First, we must guard against our love of money.”

He went on to say, “In Scripture, there are instances of casting but usually not for material gain. It rather emphasizes the sovereignty of God. For example. Proverbs 16:33 says, “The lot is cast into the lap, but it’s every decision from the lord.”

Some Lottery Advice

This is the story of Marie Holmes. A woman who went from rags to riches very quickly. If you happen to read the lottery, you should read this story and take it to heart. It’s important to understand the wining process and tax laws before choosing to take the money at once. You have to be the one to sign the ticket to avoid theft accusations. It’s also very important to cash in the ticket before the expiration date!

Of course, it’s okay and very normal to use the money to improve the quality of life for you and your children. Just make sure to hire a good financial advisor who understands how to deal with such large amounts of money. That way someone is there to instruct you on how to protect your money.

Learned Lessons

The chances of winning the lottery once are already low, so it probably won’t happen twice. That’s why it is very important to be careful! Even though millions seem impossible to use up, it can happen faster than you ever imagined. Besides the government taking a large amount of it, unpaid debts can also contribute to receiving a lot less money than you initially thought.

The last piece of advice is to expect to be beleaguered by your friends, family, and even complete strangers. It would be smart to keep your winnings as private as possible and donations as anonymous as possible.