Mi Hyun Moon walked into a Queens deli to get $5 in change — and walked out with $5 million.
The former New York resident was in town visiting friends last month when she purchased a Lotto ticket on a whim and scored the huge jackpot. It was the first she ever bought.
"It was surreal," Moon said yesterday. "I'm overjoyed!"
The 40-year-old mom of two is a native of Korea who lived for 20 years in Queens before moving just outside of Philadelphia.
She makes regular visits to the city, and on Sept. 14, decided to duck into the Imperial Deli on 21st Street in Long Island City to get some change before her bus ride home. She had to buy something to get the change, and decided to buy a Lotto ticket.
She even forgot to check if she won, and only realized she picked the right numbers four days after the Sept. 14 drawing.
"I come back to Queens to visit with family and friends about once a month or so. This is one visit I will never forget!" she said.
She will take home a $2,839,929 lump sum payout, which will be cut to $1,869,263 after taxes.
"To be honest, I am still getting over the initial shock," she said. "I am dreaming of all the things I can do with the money. The kids' college funds are paid for."
Moon — who showed up at a press conference yesterday with dark glasses and her hat pulled low — also said that she plans to donate money to her church.
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Thanks to emilyg for the tip.
Good for her..Beginners luck..I'd rather be lucky then good..Now go and hide!!..
RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME!, SHE CAN TURN IN THAT BUS PASS NOW!!
"You make a living by what you get, You make a life by what you give!"
Sir Winston Churchill
Congrats to Mrs. Moon on her win!
Now that's the way to do it, on the first try! God bless her.
So she wins $5 million and ends up with $1,829,263? OUCH!
Yep, the tax man doesn't invest a nickle but gets an over $970,000 piece of the action for absolutely nothing. Don'cha love it? What a racket.
Congratulations!!!!!!! Way to go!!!!!
You could be spending hundreds of dollars each month and not win anything substantial.
Remember the book keeper from NY who embezzeled more than $1,000,000 from her
employer and spent the money to buy lottery tickets and never won anything substantial?
And then this lady, a lotto first timer, decided to get 2 tickets because she needed change
and hit big, aint that the lotto demon at work?
Awesome story.
Yep, tax is a female dog up in NYC.
Other than that, she was at the right place and the right time.
Congratulations Mrs Moon.
What a way to win. First bet.
The Jackpot gods surely smiled down on her.
Spend it wisely....
A $5 Million lotto win down to $1.8 M is actually correct. In general, when you see a lotto win, divide by 3 and that's what you receive in cash after taxes. $5M/3 = $1.67 M cash. Because this is New York, I am surprised they allow lotto winners to keep so much. New York does tax their lotto winners. Luckily, in California, they do NOT tax lotto winnings, at least so far.
"The former New York resident was in town visiting friends last month when she purchased a Lotto ticket on a whim and scored the huge jackpot."
$5 Million is nice, but it is not a "huge jackpot." In California, the Super Lotto starts at $6M and goes all the way up to $100 Million. On September 1, 2007, the California Super Lotto was $93 Million. There was one winner and California does not tax their lotto winners, unlike New York.
Ouch? I'd take that kind of pain anyday.
Wow the tax is painful to see, she should have played in the UK as $5m won would have been tax free, I guess us players in the UK are fortunate to have a game that offers no tax deduction, anyway congrats to her