Says $105M is all hers; McDonald's workers say it's theirs
Mega Millions mania has plunged a Maryland McDonald's into a bubbling cauldron of controversy hotter than a deep-fried apple pie.
Workers at the fast-food joint who pooled their cash for tickets are furious at a colleague who claims she won with a ticket she bought for herself and has no intention of sharing.
"We had a group plan, but I went and played by myself. [The 'winning' ticket] wasn't on the group plan," McDonald's "winner" Mirlande Wilson 37, told The Post yesterday, insisting she alone bought one of the three tickets nationwide that will split a record $656 million payout.
"I was in the group, but this was separate. The winning ticket was a separate ticket," the single mother of seven said as she and her fiancé left her home in the squalid Westport neighborhood to attend church.
The Haitian immigrant refused to show what she said was the winning ticket, claiming she had it hidden in another location and would present it to lottery officials today.
Pressed as the day went on, she became more cagey.
"I don't know if I won. Some of the numbers were familiar. I recognized some of [them]," she said. "I don't know why" people are saying differently. "I'm going to go to the lottery office [today]. I bought some tickets separately."
With winning tickets also sold in Illinois and Kansas, a single Maryland winner would get an after-tax lump sum of $105 million, or $5.59 million a year for 26 years.
If Wilson won, and if it was with a pooled work ticket, the situation would be shockingly similar to that of New Jersey lottery louse Americo Lopes, who tried to screw five former colleagues after hitting a $24 million jackpot before a jury ordered him to spread the wealth.
Wilson's co-workers — who make little more than $7.50 an hour — are sizzling with anger over the notion.
"She can' t do this to us!" said Suleiman Osman Husein, a shift manager and one of 15 members in the pool. "We each paid $5. She took everybody's money!"
A man identifying himself as the boyfriend of a McDonald's manager named Layla, who was part of the pool, said Wilson bought tickets for the group at the 7-Eleven in Milford Mill, where the winning ticket was sold.
The group's tickets — along with a list of those who contributed to the pool — were left in an office safe at the burger joint, said the man, who gave only his first name, Allen, as he stood next to Layla. She declined to comment.
Then, late Friday, before the night's drawing, the owner of the McDonald's, Birul Desai, gave Wilson $5 to buy more tickets for the pool on her way home from work, and she went back to the 7-Eleven and bought them, Allen said.
Wilson took those tickets home with her, Allen said.
But Wilson insisted yesterday that she had bought the second batch with an unidentified pal — not for the pool — and that the winning ticket was among them.
A day earlier, a delirious Wilson had called co-workers to break the news — tellingly used the first-person singular.
"I won! I won!" she cried, Allen said.
Another colleague, Davon Wilson, no relation, said he was there when Mirlande Wilson called.
"She said, 'Turn on the news.' She said she had won. I thought it was a joke or something. She doesn't seem like a person who'd do this," he said.
Allan said he and Layla went to Wilson's home and pounded on the door for 20 minutes until she finally came out.
"These people are going to kill you. It's not worth your life!" Allen said he told her.
"All right! All right! I'll share, but I can't find the ticket right now," she finally said, according to Allen.
Yohannes Michael, a clerk at the 7-Eleven where Wilson bought the tickets, expressed doubts about her story when he said yesterday that lottery officials have reviewed the store's video and believe that a man bought the winning ticket. Lottery rep Carole Everett would not confirm that.
Reached at his Fairfax, Va., home, Desai, the McDonald's owner, declined to comment except to say, "It's all bulls--t, if you ask me. It's speculation."
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Never ever play in a LOTTERY POOL!
If you want to play in a pool, purchase one after you win!
She had the option to be anonymous!
Just like the story of the women who wanted her husbands lottery money only to find out he did
not win, I will treat this story the same. Until she turns in the ticket with the winning numbers I
won't believe a word of this, they never should have printed this story in the first place!!
I always play in a small pool and I am the pool caption. I buy the tickets and scan and email it to the group. That way there is a timestamp and everyone knows the ticket numbers. I can buy as much as I want on my own ...No issues there..
Oh boy, here come's another dispute over who gets the wealth. If that lady, won, she should get stripped of her money because she's acting GREEDY like a mother (watch your mouth)
I organized pools. Too often the pool organizer is blamed.
It seems that a lot of legal disputes involve the sole winner of the prize claim they purchased the winning ticket for them self when they were the designated person to buy the tickets for the pool.
What are the odds of that?
Better than average I would say.
Elaborate April Fool's Joke perhaps...
On a much larger scale than normal. That would be the ultimate April Fool's Joke.
I think she has to share it .its a mcdonald happy $1 meal for christ sake. If she doesn't they should put her in deep frier well done extra crispy to go.lol even mcdonald clown is crying now for this crap that could have been good publicity.That's my best opinion.thank you all
Man F that shiz. She didn't win anything. She just messing with our heads saying she has the ticket when in reality she doesn't.
According to the MD Lottery, the winning ticket in Maryland was a single Quick Pick - not a $5 ticket. So I'm not sure how much of this story is true. We'll just have to keep following it. Sometimes these things have turned out to be false in the past.
Yeah, absolutely. This story is really bogus, imo. We'll just have to keep following but I'm pretty sure that she does not have anything. She seemed so uncerain saying the numbers look familiar. Well, that just doesn't cut it. Sometimes the media overexaggerates things.
(excuse my spelling, tired to proof-read)
No matter what happens out of this entire fiasco.......We all can take a valuable lesson or two when it comes to winning the lottery....."Pools with no rules are for fools".......Trying to fix misspoken claims is like pushing a snowball down the side of a mountain on a warm day
Here is the problem she took the group ticket home without authorization and now she is saying the group ticket is the lossing ticket and that the winning ticket is personal. Well if you can walk to 7-eleven to buy it you should be able to walk back to mcdonald to put it in the safe b4 the draw so there won't be any conflict of interest. And why did the group trust her she doesn't look like an angel.lol
There is such an easy way to play a work lotto pool that would avoid all this potential lying and deceipt:
1) Each person who plays in that individual lotto pool must sign a group pool signup form every time they play the pool. No signature, no pool entry, no exceptions. The lotto pool form is to spell out all of the rules for playing in that pool.
2) All pool lottery tickets are to be bought the day before the drawing, no exceptions. Tickets are to be bought at the same time each drawing, so players know they have a deadline they must meet. If someone wants to join the pool after the tickets are bought or the day of the drawing, they have to wait until next drawing.
3) Make a copy of the pool tickets & distribute a set of them to all members of the pool well before the drawing.
4) Keep a copy of the pool entry forms & tickets for at least 1 year.
5) Any tickets purchased outside the lotto pool are individual tickets & belong to the person who bought them; they're separate from the pool. No exceptions.
If pool players would just follow these simple rules, there would be none of this ridiculous winning ticket drama. Handle this like a business & it'll never be a problem.
Let's not judge someone on how honest they may or may not be based on looks alone, thats really
foolish!!
If this turns out fake, that's a really heartless joke to play on your co-workers. I'm sure shes unemployed already. This is why i demand copies in our pool. Her manager should of known this.
I too was in a lottery pool years back and was the one to buy the tickets . I also would purchase my own tickets. However, I made copies of all the tickets and gave them to the members The tickets was left in the safe at the school. There was many ways to make a different in your personal tickets even the agent.Maybe she should have purchase her own from a different place.
What you mean don't judge by looks .when I go to mcdonald to eat my food should be fine like there posted pictures says. And I should have a smiley face on my way out.so looks is everything lol
Todd, I agree, but he (Allen) said that he gave her $5 to buy more tickets which she took home and didn't bring back the new tickets to be put in the safe with the rest of the tickets. She could have bought five single tickets which she didn't bring back to the Mcdonalds safe, I feel that she has to share the money because she can't prove otherwise because she didn't bring the tickets back to the safe with the other tickets.
good point ben
, for her sake hopefully she has a $5 ticket that she bought right after work if not she is headed for a long leagal battle.
What get's me is the 7-11 clerk said that the lottery officials reviewed the survelliance video and it shows a man buying the ticket. So let's say (I might be stretching here) that her 'fiance' bought the ticket whose to say the she didn't give him the lotter group money to play with. However she keeps saying 'she bought the ticket.
drama, drama, drama, I need a drink after reading this...LOL...
Thats why is never good to play in a lottery pool. Because face value or word of mouth agreement is never good. Unless there is a written agreement signed by everybody in the pool. Thats why i never play lottery pools. Written agreements is the best way to prevent things like this from happen. And finally have it notarized and then there will be no disputing.
This is why everyone should have a list of the numbers they are going to be playing.
I really like this part of the story,"Allan said he and Layla went to Wilson's home and pounded on the door for 20 minutes until she finally came out.
"These people are going to kill you. It's not worth your life!" Allen said he told her.
"All right! All right! I'll share, but I can't find the ticket right now," she finally said, according to Allen."
Really ?? REALLY ?? You can't find the ticket right now ?
Then there's this part of the story, "I don't know if I won. Some of the numbers were familiar. I recognized some of [them]," she said. "I don't know why" people are saying differently. "I'm going to go to the lottery office [today]. I bought some tickets separately."
Is this taxpayer for real ?
She is truly fits the definition of "gormless"
sounds a little shakey to me just be honest and share the wealth if need to be. I look at it this way you still going have more than you had before. sooooooo what,s the problem!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She may be lying because the lottery office said when they viewed the camera it was a male that purchased the tickets but you never know this is what happens with pools.
You have the one person that will be greedy if she can prove that the boyfriend or husband purchase her tickets seperate then they get nothing it is hard for me to see 15
mcdonald's employees couging up $5.00 a piece they only make $7.50 per hr they have to account for all their money.