SAN FRANCISCO — Silicon Valley's latest who-won-it mystery came to a close on April Fool's Day, when a man strolled into the Sacramento lottery headquarters bearing the winning Powerball ticket and wearing a T-shirt featuring Yoda from "Star Wars" with the words: "Luck of the Jedi I have."
Lottery officials were quick to say that nearly six weeks after the Feb. 19 drawing, this was no joke: B. Raymond Buxton is the sole winner of the $425.3 million jackpot. Despite his levity in picking a day and T-shirt for emergence, he hunkered down after learning of the win, recruiting an attorney and a public relations powerhouse to help him navigate the world of a newly minted millionaire.
" 'Unbelievable!' is all I could muster," Buxton said in a statement from Singer Associates, a Bay Area public relations firm that has represented clients such as Gavin Newsom and Children's Hospital Oakland. "Once the initial shock passed I couldn't sleep for days."
While his name is out there, Buxton declined media interviews and cleverly covered his face with an enormous novelty check for the lottery photo. A San Francisco law firm is helping him handle bank accounts and taxes and establish a charity.
"It couldn't happen to a nicer guy," Sam Singer said. "He wants to be a winner who affects lives in a positive way."
The ticket was sold at a Chevron station off Dixon Landing Road in Milpitas. Buxton, a self-described lottery regular, was at the Subway sandwich counter inside the station, already with a ticket in hand, when he decided that the payoff potential was so huge that this time he'd buy a second ticket. That's the one that won — a $2 ticket that will net a lump sum payoff of $242.2 million before federal taxes. It's the largest jackpot ever won in California, said lottery officials.
"It was a fail-safe," Singer said. "And he became the luckiest guy in the world."
Singer said Buxton is a retired "well-educated professional" in his late 50s, with Bay Area ties and that the gas station is within the footprint of his daily travels. Records show that he's lived in East Contra Costa County.
Buxton plans to do some traveling but also wants to give back to the community through a charity focused on pediatric health, child hunger and education.
It was the Bay Area's second big lottery win in as many months: A delivery driver named Steve Tran bought a winning Mega Millions ticket from an East San Jose gift shop sometime before a Dec. 17 drawing. He did not come forward until a few days after New Year's, when he found the winning ticket while looking through a drawer.
Tran gave a brief statement to lottery officials, saying he had immediately called his boss to let him know he wasn't coming in anymore, then dropped off the map. He took a $173.8 million pretax cash payout out of the maximum $324 million prize.
Immediately after realizing he won, Buxton — who Singer said comes from a large family — kept it to himself, and turned to the California Lottery's Web page advising winners to line up legal and financial representation.
"Sitting on a ticket of this value was very scary. It's amazing how a little slip of paper can change your life. I'm going to enjoy my new job setting up a charitable foundation focused on the areas of pediatric health, child hunger and education," he said.
He added that he plans to "spend time with my family and friends, start a charity and consult with professionals on how to pragmatically utilize this windfall," with a perhaps more ambitious plan of "trying to find a way to live a normal and discreet life."
"You get a check for $200 million-plus, that's automatically going to be a life-changer," said California Lottery spokesman Alex Traverso. "It's great in theory and we love that the guy took time to investigate options and think it's great he's going to give money back."
Traverso added, however that keeping a low profile might prove to be an admirable but difficult goal.
"We wish him all the luck in the world," he said.
The Feb. 19 jackpot was the largest jackpot in California history, according to lottery officials, and the sixth-largest ever won in the United States.
The odds of matching all six Powerball numbers are 1 in about 175 million, according to statistics from the Multi-State Lottery Association in Iowa.
Powerball is played in 43 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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" Wants to give back to the community- paediatric care, child health- What a Man"- God Bless Mr Buxton!!
Congratulations. ...
Congratulations to Mr. Buxton. He sounds like a remarkable man that will do well with his lottery winnings.
Awesome! Congrats to this smart winner. Sounds like he is on the right track. Best of luck to him and his connections!
ConGrat'$$$$$$$$$$$>>Mr. Buxton>>MOTHER NATURE LUV'$$$$ YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Question:
Did YOU pick UR number's on this WON R did the terminal PICK the number's 4U?????????? THANK's
Awesome! I wish him luck as he embark on his new journey in life. It is quite ambitious to venture a charitable foundation on pediatric health, child hunger and education. It will take a multi-billionair to see the fruit of such endeavour.
Congrat u frickin lations!!
Congrats! I wish him well with all his wonderful pursuits.
Very well thought out. I wish him the best of luck....
I'M HAPPY FOR HIM. WHEN YOU GIVE BACK, YOU HAVE MORE BLESSING COMING YOUR WAY. I WISH HIM THE BEST. AND GOOD LUCK
Congratulations B.Raymond Buxton. How about him hiring a PR firm! That's a new one on me.
Good to see that he plans to set up a charitable foundation for pediatric health,child hunger, and education.
Another 2014 multi-millionaire doing good with his new found fortune!
Congratulation Mr. Buxton
a $4 investment turn well, NICE!
Good thing he decided to get an extra ticket!
I wish him and may he have the sense to get the ______ out of California
Hopefully he wont buy anymore Star Wars crap
Congrats to him! Hope he helps a lot of deserving people!
Congrats to Mr. Buxton. If Buxton or anyone in that neighborhood where that winning $425 million lottery ticket was bought, is wearing that T-shirt, featuring Yoda and those words: " Luck of the Jedi I have " would be mobbed by lottery fanatics and unscrupulous characters! Mr. Buxton, please don't wear that T-shirt again!
Congrats on your win! Mr. Buxton now has a lot of Buxs!-weshar75
Congratulations Mr Buxton, Spend Wisely
When we make choices...we gotta live with it...I hope he does make a good choice.
Congrats Mr.B.
Precisely.
I'm glad to see a Star Wars fan win. Now he can afford to buy a set of Death Star ice cube trays.
May the wealth be with him....forever.
congratulations!
He was so smart to hold the check over his face!!!! BRILLIANT!!!!
Congratulations, lucky CA guy!!!
Would one of our members with a California Powerball ticket, from this month, please turn it over and read the back. Please then inform us if it reads something to the effect of 'winner's likeness is required to receive prize'. Thanks, in advance, for solving this check-covering-face mystery for me!
There is no mystery. Obviously he's allowed to do what he did, otherwise the lottery officials would have made him show his face for the photo.
The California lottery winners handbook still says winners will receive a check and no EFT (electronic fund transfers) are availible. I wonder how long a bank would put a hold on a check of that size, so it could be verified.
A truly smart winner would be making plans to leave CA after the first of the year to escape the draconian tax structure there!
well lets hope he has them kind of smarts hehehehe
It's photo's like this that make you know the lottery is not rigged!
A man wins 142 million dollars in the clear in his 50's and he shows up wearing a star war's yoda shirt hiding his face. What a coward geek haha! He might actually get to kiss a girl on the lips for the first time now with that kind of jack haha!
It woulda made better drama for someone to show up demanding a picture taken outside showing his face driving a dukes of hazzard "General Lee" replica with a couple of hot gals hanging out the windows! Throw it a J G Whitworth shirt that says "ITS MY MONEY AND I WANT IT NOW!"
They just don't know how to go about it right!
Man you know what im saying!
I thought the photo of him---(his body) was funny...Now I am going to google him..I am sure he got a photo out there SOMEWHERE...I am thinking he's a Doctor or Science nerd or a t -shirt wearing rich man----mmmm LET'S SEE ..LOL
You sound like my kind of woman baby! You marry that rich nerd and sneak off for awhile and spend some of that cash with me!
You know what im saying!
$2 POWERBALL Quick Pick Ticket Turned Into $425 Million.
The winning ticket cost $2.
Buying multiple lottery tickets increases your chances of winning a lottery jackpot.
It is ironic to see a Star Wars fan winning a lottery jackpot. I wonder if Darth VADER has won a lottery jackpot.LOL
"Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's"
You will not get any money from him. Work to get your own.
mmmmmmm LOL!!!!
Powerball jackpot is $110 Million. LOL
Moving into a gated community is not a bad idea.