Air Force sergeant claims $93.4 million Powerball jackpot

Aug 19, 2005, 9:53 pm (31 comments)

Powerball

A Kirtland Air Force Base master sergeant who decided on a whim to buy a lottery ticket while picking up milk at a Raley's supermarket won a $93.4 million Powerball jackpot, lottery officials announced Friday.

John San Cartier, a master sergeant assigned to the 58th Training Squadron at the New Mexico military base, held the only ticket for the Aug. 10 Powerball drawing that matched all six numbers.

"If I hadn't been short of milk, I probably wouldn't have bought the ticket," he said, adding that he doesn't play the lottery often.

San Cartier, 33, said that on the morning after the winning numbers were drawn, he heard there was a winner in New Mexico on a morning radio report.

"I thought: 'Wouldn't that be amazing?' " he said.

That evening, after work, he checked his ticket.

"I looked at my numbers again and again and again," he said. He verified the winning numbers with the lotto web site and reconfirmed them by requesting a printout of winning numbers at the store. Then, he stored the numbers in a safety deposit box.

San Cartier, 33, said he tried to keep his good fortune a secret. But news that he was the winner spread rapidly among friends and even a few strangers who learned his identity.

When he heard news stories speculating about who the winner might be, he fought the temptation to come forward.

"I wanted to run out screaming in the streets, 'It's me! Hey everybody, it's me!'" San Cartier told reporters, waving a hand with an imaginary ticket in the air.

Instead, San Cartier said, he tried to stay calm even though he felt scared and anxious. He was granted a leave from the Air Force, which he has served for 15 years. He spent recent days seeking advice from financial advisers, tax specialists and lawyers.

On Friday morning, when he was ready to claim his prize, he walked into the state lotto office, wearing a neatly pressed blue oxford, khaki green slacks and carrying the winning ticket in his back pocket.

Lottery officials commended him for bringing proper documents to their office.

"Congratulations," said New Mexico Lottery spokesman Lance Ross as he handed the winner a giant mock check made of cardboard. "Use it in good health. Use it wisely."

Lottery employees who gathered to watch the ceremony broke into applause.

San Cartier chose to take a lump sum of $52.2 million, rather than spread the payments out in annual installments. After taxes, he'll receive a one-time wire transfer of about $36 million, lottery officials said.

San Cartier, who is married, declined to give any other details about his family, work or personal life. He said he is not in debt, but the money will come in handy.

"It's going to be good for me and my family," he said.

San Cartier said the money will certainly pay for his children's college education, but he hasn't made other plans. He will carefully study opportunities for business investments but hasn't committed himself to anything, he said.

"I don't have anything specific that I'm going to buy," he said, admitting that he briefly considered a sporty Mercedes that he saw online, but later decided that the $450,000 price tag was too expensive.

He said the only luxury he wants is "peace and quiet." Since winning, he said, it seems that thousands of people have learned of his prize and he's disconnected his home phone.

The prize is the second largest in New Mexico history, the largest claimed by an individual.

The winning numbers were 13, 31, 36, 38, 49 and a Powerball of 2.

Powerball, created in 1992 and launched in New Mexico in October 1996, is played in 27 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

AP

Comments

emilyg's avataremilyg

great story!!!

Bradly_60's avatarBradly_60

All for a jug of milk...doesn't it seem like those are the people that always wins.  haha

And finally someone who knows what he is doing...

" He verified the winning numbers with the lotto web site and reconfirmed them by requesting a printout of winning numbers at the store"

Notice he wasn't stupid enough to give it to the retailer to ask if he won anything.

Congrats to the winner!

Brad

winner2b

I Agree!   

      US Flag

MPJO

  GOT MILK......GOT MONEY

konane's avatarkonane

It's great it's going to someone who spent the past 15 years preserving our freedoms!  Congrats to him and his family!!  Party 

RJOh's avatarRJOh

Now all those wannabe winners can stop looking for the ticket they never bought and the players who were mad the he didn't come forward earlier can get on with their lifes.

weshar75's avatarweshar75

Another military man hits the big time good luck and congrats to the lucky winner I guess when it is your time to win it is your time.

getpaid

One ticket to rule them all.

I play every drawing. Maybe, I should skip a few.

Just6ntlc

This is a great story. I don't play PB because I don't live in a PB state, but I like to make predictions in fantasy PB. Well, congratulations to the military man that hit the 93.4 million PB Jackpot. I noticed in 2003, a military man and his fiancee won $49.5 million in CA SLP.

Chewie

Good for him. Always glad to see someone who sacrificed for his country get some payback. Hope he takes care of his family's future before the slugs close in.

wizeguy's avatarwizeguy

Congrats to the winner!

 

Rip Snorter

Now all those wannabe winners can stop looking for the ticket they never bought and the players who were mad the he didn't come forward earlier can get on with their lifes.

Yeah, they can.

It's a relief to know someone's claimed it and it won't go back into the general revenues.

Jack

Rip Snorter

Good for him. Always glad to see someone who sacrificed for his country get some payback. Hope he takes care of his family's future before the slugs close in.

It will be interesting to hear what he sacrificed, if anything.  He's enjoyed better health care, a lot higher salary, a better retirement system than your average New Mexican and probably your average American.

But if he's sacrificed somethng in the process most likely we'll be hearing a lot more about it in loving detail. 

Jack

CASH Only

Hard to find a more deserving winner. Especially since he's relatively young, and STILL took the cash!

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