Sex offender wins $14 million Florida Lotto jackpot

Feb 1, 2007, 12:34 am (48 comments)

Florida Lottery

Life has taken a startling turn for Edward R. Cowal.

Florida lottery officials announced Monday that Cowal, who is a state registered sex offender, was the sole winner of the $14 million lottery drawing from Jan. 13.

Cowal, whose name is on an eight-page record from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, elected to take a lump sum settlement of nearly $8 million before taxes. He purchased the ticket at the Cumberland Farms Store in Jensen Beach.

Cowal couldn't be reached for comment, and telephone service to his residence — a one-bedroom home in Windmill Village, a mobile home community on Hutchinson Island — has been disconnected.

Attorney James "Mac" Stuckey, of Stuart, picked up Cowal's winning check. Cowal assigned the money to the Quantum Trust, which he established to handle the funds.

Stuckey said Cowal asked him to be his representative because he wants "absolute confidentiality" and does not want to be bothered by people. Stuckey said he could not comment on any FDLE records for Cowal.

FDLE records show Cowal is a registered sex offender and has a record of arrests for alleged offenses beginning in 1993, ranging from burglary, lewd and lascivious or indecent assault upon a child, trespass, aggravated assault, driving under the influence, probation violation and high-speed fleeing from law enforcement. He was sentenced to 23 months in prison between 1993 and 2000.

Records show Cowal lived in the Windmill Village Recreation Center, which is a Jensen Beach mailing address though it's just north of the Martin-St. Lucie County line.

The mobile home has been on the market for sale at $120,000 for at least the past 30 days. Brokers at the Keyes Co. office in Jensen Beach could not comment on Cowal but were excited about the announcement.

"When we heard where the winning ticket had been sold," said Angelo Campo a broker-associate, "we almost had a heart attack. We have been buying our tickets at that store for years."

Workers at the Cumberland Farms Store, which will receive $25,000 for selling the winning ticket, said they had not been told who had won the ticket Monday afternoon. When told Cowal's name, several said they couldn't recall him.

Cowal is the 869th winner of a major jackpot since 1988, according to Florida lottery officials.

Stuart News

Tags for this story

Other popular tags

Comments

s5thomps's avatars5thomps

I guess that you never know when your number is going to come up. I hope that my ship comes in on Saturday.  I hope that he uses the money to turn his life around, Maybe pay some restituion to the victims.Thud

justxploring's avatarjustxploring

I guess this is one reason the lottery doesn't want to honor anonymity.  Okay, he's a free man and bought the winning ticket, so he deserves to collect his prize.  Like many others, I bought tickets for that game. I agree, s5thomps, that it would be nice if he turns his life around and maybe he will. But if he is really a sexual deviant, money won't change that compulsion. It will only give him more power and opportunity to commit these acts.  He'll probably be taking a lot of vacations in Thailand. 

Strange world we live in.  Florida has its priorities all mixed up. While this convicted sex offender was collecting his millions, a 21 yr old college student was brutally assaulted and raped on the way to her car. She called the Tampa police for help and was later arrested and thrown in jail instead of getting treatment and counseling and denied medication.  Why?  The system showed she had an outstanding warrant because she failed to pay restitution for a juvenile offense, although it might be a clerical error. In the meantime this 21 year old premed student sat in jail after being violated the same day a sex offender collected $8 million dollars.  Maybe I'm the only one who finds this revolting. 

s5thomps's avatars5thomps

It just doesn't seem fair Just Exploring!!!!, I agree with you 100%, But you noticed how he had his attorney establish a trust to claim the winnings. He his protecting himself so he won't be sued for some of his money by the victims. But if had any kind of decency to him he should at least compenstate the people that he violated. It would never make amends for the damage he has done but at least it would show that he cared, But with Mr. Cowal claiming the winnings the way he did and disconnecting his phone and putting his trailer up for sale, I am sure he could care less about reaching out to the victims. It will interesting to see how this all plays out over time. As quickly as he won the money, It could all be gone within a couple years. We know all the horror stories of lottery winners going broke within 5 years.

DoubleDown

Quote: Originally posted by justxploring on Feb 1, 2007

I guess this is one reason the lottery doesn't want to honor anonymity.  Okay, he's a free man and bought the winning ticket, so he deserves to collect his prize.  Like many others, I bought tickets for that game. I agree, s5thomps, that it would be nice if he turns his life around and maybe he will. But if he is really a sexual deviant, money won't change that compulsion. It will only give him more power and opportunity to commit these acts.  He'll probably be taking a lot of vacations in Thailand. 

Strange world we live in.  Florida has its priorities all mixed up. While this convicted sex offender was collecting his millions, a 21 yr old college student was brutally assaulted and raped on the way to her car. She called the Tampa police for help and was later arrested and thrown in jail instead of getting treatment and counseling and denied medication.  Why?  The system showed she had an outstanding warrant because she failed to pay restitution for a juvenile offense, although it might be a clerical error. In the meantime this 21 year old premed student sat in jail after being violated the same day a sex offender collected $8 million dollars.  Maybe I'm the only one who finds this revolting. 

I'm with ya...      Thud

JAG331

Maybe this isn't very PC....but we all take our chances on the lottery.  He bought a ticket and his number came up.  End of story.  Not good, not bad, not karma, not lack of karma.  It just is what is.

RJOh's avatarRJOh

It never seem fair to some people when someone else wins a lottery jackpot whether they are good or bad people especially if they are not giving any of it away.

BevsPicks's avatarBevsPicks

A very famous man once said, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

duckman's avatarduckman

Real justice would be if those he has harmed could still file a multi-million dollar civil lawsuit against him for damages (physical and emotional). Now that he has assets, it should be payback time for those he preyed on...

stavros's avatarstavros

Quote: Originally posted by BevsPicks on Feb 1, 2007

A very famous man once said, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

Amen, Sister!

SirMetro's avatarSirMetro

I guess now...he can afford to buy a small island...hire a team of lawyers and get away with doing as he pleases to innocent children.

Sorry...but I believe the only penalty for sexually assualting a child should be the death penalty. Anything less is a crime towards humanity.

Hummm...wonder how many alligators he could feed...at least that would benefit the enviroment.

Oh...and for those bleeding hearts out there...anyone bother to ask the innocent child he sexually assualted if she (or he) have healed from such a viscious and heartless attack?

Better yet...where are those vulture lawyers? Perhaps they should open up a civil damages case against him on behalf of the child and take the money away from him just like he stole the innocence from that poor child.

Oh well...just my ramblings...sorry folks...take care and try to have a decent day.

Sir Metro

emilyg's avataremilyg

Quote: Originally posted by SirMetro on Feb 1, 2007

I guess now...he can afford to buy a small island...hire a team of lawyers and get away with doing as he pleases to innocent children.

Sorry...but I believe the only penalty for sexually assualting a child should be the death penalty. Anything less is a crime towards humanity.

Hummm...wonder how many alligators he could feed...at least that would benefit the enviroment.

Oh...and for those bleeding hearts out there...anyone bother to ask the innocent child he sexually assualted if she (or he) have healed from such a viscious and heartless attack?

Better yet...where are those vulture lawyers? Perhaps they should open up a civil damages case against him on behalf of the child and take the money away from him just like he stole the innocence from that poor child.

Oh well...just my ramblings...sorry folks...take care and try to have a decent day.

Sir Metro

I'm with you on this Sir Metro.

justxploring's avatarjustxploring

Quote: Originally posted by BevsPicks on Feb 1, 2007

A very famous man once said, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

First of all, RJOh, I never said life was fair or not fair. Fair is only a term that applies in baseball. I started my post by saying he won fair and square by playing the lottery and having the winning ticket. No argument about that, JAG331. The game is random and doesn't choose the winner by his or her past achievements or failures, thank goodness.  We also do not know what this man's crimes really were. Some states label a person as sex offender if he's caught peeing in public, although he has a long rap sheet which includes lewd and lascivious behavior with a minor and assault on a minor. I know few people who have that on their records.  Oops - Come to think of it, I don't know ANYONE who has that on their record.

Bev - c'mon!!  I am definitely not without sin.  But my sins didn't assault, rape or torture anyone, especially a child.  But let's forget about the lottery for a second.  Are you saying that we should "turn the other cheek" (as long as we're quoting the Bible here) when it comes to sex offenders?  Most of the time, the little girls and boys who were molested and/or murdered are repeat offenders and have been doing it for many years. Most of the time it's discovered they have more than 100 victims before they are imprisoned.  The young boy who was kidnapped a few weeks ago in Missouri was taken by a man who had previously taken another boy and kept him for 4 years. I can't even imagine what that young boy went through and yet people are actually questioning why he didn't try to run away.  Duh?  Blame the victim?  He was 11 and kidnapped and probably sodomized and told he would be killed if he escaped. Who knows what this sick piece of garbage did to him?

The man who tortured and raped little Jessica Lunsford (John Couey) had been arrested in the past but "served his time" and did not register as a sex offender.  He moved across the street from a family with a precious little 9 year old girl, kidnapped her when she was sleeping and put her in a closet for several days, sexually abusing her until he decided to get rid of her (as his confession says..which was thrown out of court!!)  She was found in a shallow grave clinging to her Teddy Bear, which she had been sleeping with when he kidnapped her from her bed!  He put her in a large plastic trash bag and buried her ALIVE with her Teddy Bear. YES - I WANT TO THROW AS MANY STONES AT THIS MAN AS I CAN FIND. 

BevsPicks's avatarBevsPicks

Justxploring, I understand your anger. However, there are no Big wrongs or Little wrongs. Wrong is wrong.  I've never been in trouble with the law.  But I am not perfect like some people.  But my point is this I am in no position to condemn this man or anyone else.  And getting upset isn't going to change a thing or deter anyone from "their" bad behavior.  If someone threw a rock at you for every mean thing that you said, did, or thought in regards to someone else would you survive? 

 

My other point is this: As long as this man is not out committing more crimes against nature and people why can't folks just leave him alone?  Let the justice system do their jobs.  But as I said before getting your self all upset over something such is this really isn't worth it. Is it?

 

But if throwing rocks is your thing. Please go right ahead.  I just hope and pray that no one will ever have to throw one at you or anyone else for that matter.

 

One more thing...I'm not condoning what he did. And I do feel for the child's family but know that what goes around comes around.  He will get his just deserts.

cv844's avatarcv844

Quote: Originally posted by justxploring on Feb 1, 2007

I guess this is one reason the lottery doesn't want to honor anonymity.  Okay, he's a free man and bought the winning ticket, so he deserves to collect his prize.  Like many others, I bought tickets for that game. I agree, s5thomps, that it would be nice if he turns his life around and maybe he will. But if he is really a sexual deviant, money won't change that compulsion. It will only give him more power and opportunity to commit these acts.  He'll probably be taking a lot of vacations in Thailand. 

Strange world we live in.  Florida has its priorities all mixed up. While this convicted sex offender was collecting his millions, a 21 yr old college student was brutally assaulted and raped on the way to her car. She called the Tampa police for help and was later arrested and thrown in jail instead of getting treatment and counseling and denied medication.  Why?  The system showed she had an outstanding warrant because she failed to pay restitution for a juvenile offense, although it might be a clerical error. In the meantime this 21 year old premed student sat in jail after being violated the same day a sex offender collected $8 million dollars.  Maybe I'm the only one who finds this revolting. 

I Agree!

Subscribe to this news story
Guest