Pool of McDonald's workers claims Mega Millions fraud

Sep 29, 2012, 11:06 pm (118 comments)

Mega Millions

14 fast-food employees say co-worker tricked state lotto to avoid sharing winnings

A group of 14 McDonald's employees from the Baltimore, Maryland, area are still convinced they were winners in the massive $656 million Mega Millions jackpot drawing earlier this year — despite being told otherwise by lottery officials — and are claiming that a co-worker defrauded the Maryland Lottery to avoid sharing a payout with them.

On Sept. 19, the group filed a civil lawsuit against their co-worker, Mirlande Wilson, a Westport woman who briefly gained celebrity status and international media attention in April after claiming to be the holder of a winning ticket purchased in Baltimore County. Two other winning tickets were purchased in Kansas and Illinois; each ticket was reportedly worth more than $100 million in cash after taxes.

As the hype grew and the news media began staking out Wilson's home, Wilson held a bizarre news conference and eventually said she lost her ticket. Days later, lottery officials announced that the real holders of the winning Baltimore County ticket were three public school educators they dubbed the "Three Amigos."

Wilson's co-workers at McDonald's weren't convinced.

The group's lawsuit says Wilson did buy a winning ticket as part of a lottery pool the co-workers were in and that she and her lawyer, Edward Smith Jr., orchestrated an elaborate ruse to recruit the educators and trick the Maryland Lottery into believing they had won rather than Wilson.

One of the McDonald's employees, Dominique Gourdet, claims in an affidavit filed in the case that when the lottery numbers were picked March 30, he was Wilson's live-in boyfriend. Gourdet says Wilson told him multiple times that a ticket she'd purchased for the McDonald's pool had won, and that she had shown him pictures of the winning ticket with the winning numbers on her phone.

Gourdet also says Wilson told him that each of the three educators claiming to be the winners would be given $1 million for "helping" in the scheme, while Smith would receive $2 million.

"She advised that an arrangement was made for others to claim the prize as their own, but that in fact she had provided the ticket and that she would ultimately receive the vast bulk of the prize," Gourdet claims in his affidavit.

Gourdet's affidavit claims Wilson told him "that she did not want to share the prize with others at work, particularly the Hispanic workers."

Reached on Friday, Wilson said she never had the ticket and the claims in the lawsuit are false.

"It's not true," she said. "This is a baseless story."

Wilson declined to comment further.

On Sept. 20, Baltimore Circuit Judge John Philip Miller denied a motion by the plaintiffs requesting a temporary restraining order against Wilson, enjoining her from using or transferring lottery assets, because neither she nor her attorney was given notice of the motion, according to court documents.

But the case remains active, and the attorney for the McDonald's workers, John Yannone of Price Benowitz in Washington, has asked the court to allow two New Jersey attorneys who have experience in such cases to join the plaintiffs' legal team.

Yannone did not return multiple requests for comment.

Smith, Wilson's attorney, said in an email that Wilson "denies any knowledge of this allegation," but could not be reached for further comment.

Carole Everett, a Maryland Lottery spokeswoman, laughed out loud after being told of the lawsuit, saying it sounded like wishful thinking from a group who had their hopes unfairly raised by Wilson in the first place. The "Three Amigos" are the true winners, Everett said.

"It was verified," she said.

Everett said surveillance video from the Milford Mill 7-Eleven store where the Baltimore County ticket was purchased was reviewed by lottery officials, but she declined to further explain the lottery's ticket verification and security measures.

Because of the amount of the winnings, the Mega Millions winners were "scrutinized even more" than average lottery winners, Everett said.

Baltimore Sun

Comments

Ronnie316

Mirlande, Mirlande, Mirlande, Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive...

bigboy90000

Sounds like the Mcdaonalds employees are reaching .Hell i would as well if I was serving bugers for min wages not that theres anything wrong with having a job of that nature its a grueling job.This is a open and shut case the Maryland Lottery will testify and theis will be over before it even starts.They should play the lottery its beeter than trying to vulture off someone elses joy.

TheGameGrl's avatarTheGameGrl

Frivalous lawsuit now enroute! More tax payer money and even the poor workers money going to a hopeless cause. A simple audit of the alledged Ladies accounts/financials will solve this. Hiding money offshore is no longer a simple task, and hiding it in and of itself is evasive...My advice is for the workers to buy a happy meal and get happy that they are alive, with loving families and life is way to short to cast stones into shallow water. The lawyers are the only ones that will come out with money in pocket.

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

Mirlande likes to fatmouth and she was doing it just to piss off those Hispanic co-workers that she didn't like.

The story from her ex-boyfriend was just more fatmouthin' from her to sex up the story a little more.

The 3 Amigos were already vetted and checked out.

Scientistman

I always find it odd that educators for schools win alot. Or cooks who work at schools win, or people who work in the school system win alot.

Yet I also find it odd that Dominique Gourdet, the live in boyfriend claims in an affidavit filed in the case that when the lottery numbers were picked March 30, he being Wilson's live-in boyfriend would not have said anything at the time. Gourdet the live in boyfriend says Wilson told him multiple times that a ticket she'd purchased for the McDonald's pool had won, and that she had shown him pictures of the winning ticket with the winning numbers on her phone.

If this were true then why wouldn't he had come forward months ago. And I would have found it very difficult to not say anything to anyone even if I were asked not to say anything, its almost impossible to keep something like that under your hat without spilling the beans and telling a sacred secret friend? So where is the secret friend the boyfriend told that his gilfriend had won. Trust me you, I would have told somebody in secret I could trust. I have a few sacred friends and I would have at least told the closest of them. So did any of Goudets very very closest friends get a call from him hearing him say that Wilson had the winning ticket and she showed it to him on her cell phone?

Lets imagine that your girlfriend had the winning ticket, she shows you pictures of the ticket with the winning numbers on the ticket in the picture on her phone, what would your reaction be? What would anyones reaction be? You are the boyfriend, you are shown a picture of the winning ticket on your girlfriends phone, the biggest lottery in recent times and you dont say anything untill now? That seems sorta unlike what I would do or anyone I know would do. And then you let 3 others step forward called the "3 Amigo's" and win without saying a word at the time till now. He should have been on the front page, on the news, claiming they are liars. Thats what I would have done if I had truly and honestly been shown the winning ticket for the biggest lottery in the known world at the time. That alone seems unlike anything anyone I know would do, just stand by and let "3 Amigos" claim the money and not say a word. My question is why did he wait so long to finally speak up? March 30 is the beginning of the year.

My other question is how the hell did this year go by so fast???? That's really what I wanna know???

 

And another thought just occured to me, she hated hispanics so much but recruited 3 educators who claimed to be the 3 Amigos. But then again if she really did have the winning ticket and hated hispanics what better story to construct than one with 3 Amigos, knowing well in advance that her hispanic co-workers would one day try to expose her, what better aliby than to say "if I had the winning ticket do you think I would have constructed a story of the educators claiming to be the 3 Amigos when I hate hispanics so much!

In a way that would actually be the perfect story to get the public to believe you never had the winning ticket!

Maybe it is true and she did win and we all bought into her great scheme?!!! I think it deserves a bit more investagation!

 

I still dont like the fact tat people who work for the school system win so much, thats suspicious right there! Im just sayin!

 

And again HOW THE HELL DID THIS YEAR GO BY SO FAST ! Now Im going to TacoBell, Im suddenly hungry for a burrito see ya!

Piaceri

Quote: Originally posted by Scientistman on Sep 30, 2012

I always find it odd that educators for schools win alot. Or cooks who work at schools win, or people who work in the school system win alot.

Yet I also find it odd that Dominique Gourdet, the live in boyfriend claims in an affidavit filed in the case that when the lottery numbers were picked March 30, he being Wilson's live-in boyfriend would not have said anything at the time. Gourdet the live in boyfriend says Wilson told him multiple times that a ticket she'd purchased for the McDonald's pool had won, and that she had shown him pictures of the winning ticket with the winning numbers on her phone.

If this were true then why wouldn't he had come forward months ago. And I would have found it very difficult to not say anything to anyone even if I were asked not to say anything, its almost impossible to keep something like that under your hat without spilling the beans and telling a sacred secret friend? So where is the secret friend the boyfriend told that his gilfriend had won. Trust me you, I would have told somebody in secret I could trust. I have a few sacred friends and I would have at least told the closest of them. So did any of Goudets very very closest friends get a call from him hearing him say that Wilson had the winning ticket and she showed it to him on her cell phone?

Lets imagine that your girlfriend had the winning ticket, she shows you pictures of the ticket with the winning numbers on the ticket in the picture on her phone, what would your reaction be? What would anyones reaction be? You are the boyfriend, you are shown a picture of the winning ticket on your girlfriends phone, the biggest lottery in recent times and you dont say anything untill now? That seems sorta unlike what I would do or anyone I know would do. And then you let 3 others step forward called the "3 Amigo's" and win without saying a word at the time till now. He should have been on the front page, on the news, claiming they are liars. Thats what I would have done if I had truly and honestly been shown the winning ticket for the biggest lottery in the known world at the time. That alone seems unlike anything anyone I know would do, just stand by and let "3 Amigos" claim the money and not say a word. My question is why did he wait so long to finally speak up? March 30 is the beginning of the year.

My other question is how the hell did this year go by so fast???? That's really what I wanna know???

 

And another thought just occured to me, she hated hispanics so much but recruited 3 educators who claimed to be the 3 Amigos. But then again if she really did have the winning ticket and hated hispanics what better story to construct than one with 3 Amigos, knowing well in advance that her hispanic co-workers would one day try to expose her, what better aliby than to say "if I had the winning ticket do you think I would have constructed a story of the educators claiming to be the 3 Amigos when I hate hispanics so much!

In a way that would actually be the perfect story to get the public to believe you never had the winning ticket!

Maybe it is true and she did win and we all bought into her great scheme?!!! I think it deserves a bit more investagation!

 

I still dont like the fact tat people who work for the school system win so much, thats suspicious right there! Im just sayin!

 

And again HOW THE HELL DID THIS YEAR GO BY SO FAST ! Now Im going to TacoBell, Im suddenly hungry for a burrito see ya!

Dude. You got too much time on your hands. Hit With Stick

KY Floyd's avatarKY Floyd

I already knew that working with stupid people could sometimes be inconvenient or even dangerous, but I never could have seen this one coming.

weshar75's avatarweshar75

I hope these mcdonald workers get nothing because they deserve nothing.  Every body in their right mind knows that the school teachers won and this mcdonald's worker was just a plain liar about her winning the lottery.  Good day to you all.-weshar75

US Flag

mcginnin56

Quote: Originally posted by Piaceri on Sep 30, 2012

Dude. You got too much time on your hands. Hit With Stick

LOL   

mcginnin56

This end of story is over six months old. Eat your sour grapes, and go out and buy yourselves a ticket.       

MillionsWanted's avatarMillionsWanted

Her cravings for fame backfired to say the least.

Masone

I said at the time that she and the real winner were in cahoots somehow. I initially thought that she was running the "Kansas city shuffle" scheme, make everyone look one way while the real winners claim without all that attention. Basically a distraction.

Never did I imagine that she was actually the real winner and schemed with the fake winners to steal money from her pool. Come to think about, if all of this is true, then she really did run the Kansas City Shuffle. While I was thinking she was running one con, she was running a completely different one.

If there is something there, they will find it. These people are not professionals, if they did it, they likely left some footprints. Don't be so quick to pick a side. There was always something fishy with how all that went down. Never seen anything like it. Her actions do kinda resemble that of a person who won the lotto but then quickly remembered that she had to share it with a lot of people.

mcginnin56

Quote: Originally posted by Masone on Sep 30, 2012

I said at the time that she and the real winner were in cahoots somehow. I initially thought that she was running the "Kansas city shuffle" scheme, make everyone look one way while the real winners claim without all that attention. Basically a distraction.

Never did I imagine that she was actually the real winner and schemed with the fake winners to steal money from her pool. Come to think about, if all of this is true, then she really did run the Kansas City Shuffle. While I was thinking she was running one con, she was running a completely different one.

If there is something there, they will find it. These people are not professionals, if they did it, they likely left some footprints. Don't be so quick to pick a side. There was always something fishy with how all that went down. Never seen anything like it. Her actions do kinda resemble that of a person who won the lotto but then quickly remembered that she had to share it with a lot of people.

Are you serious. What?

Maybe in another 20 more years, you'll believe these teachers were the actual winners......but probably not.   No Nod

Masone

Quote: Originally posted by mcginnin56 on Sep 30, 2012

Are you serious. What?

Maybe in another 20 more years, you'll believe these teachers were the actual winners......but probably not.   No Nod

What does 20 years have to do with anything?

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