Former fiancé sues $188 million Powerball jackpot winner

Feb 16, 2021, 11:28 am (47 comments)

After the Big Win

By Kate Northrop

The ex-fiancé of a North Carolina Powerball winner is suing her for allegedly giving away over a million dollars' worth of property he claims were gifts given to him by her.

Lamarr McDow, the former fiancé of $188 million Powerball winner Marie Holmes, filed a lawsuit against her after she reportedly gave away his gifts consisting of cars, clothes, and miscellaneous property that totaled over $1.4 million in value.

Holmes lived with her then-boyfriend McDow at the time of her win. She met him back in 2012 when she was working at McDonald's and Walmart and living with her mother and three children in a mobile home. Since the couple began dating, they had two children together.

After splitting the $564 million Powerball jackpot with two other winners in February 2015, Holmes opted to receive a lump sum payout of $127 million and kept $88 million after taxes. She used her lottery winnings to buy a $250,000 house and moved in with McDow for about a year.

Between 2015 and 2016, the Powerball winner lavishly spent her winnings on her boyfriend. According to the federal lawsuit, these purchases included a $250,000 modified 2015 Chevrolet Stingray, $100,000 worth of clothes and jewelry, and an automotive restoration business for $600,000. Overall, the value of her gifts to him exceeded $1.4 million.

Documents state that, although "the automobiles and trucks listed above were titled in different names, there were witnesses, including the title holders that were present when Ms. Holmes voluntarily relinquished her ownership and control of the purchased vehicles by immediately turning over the keys to the vehicles to Mr. McDow for his exclusive use."

In January 2016, McDow pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to traffic heroin following his arrest in November 2014. He was sentenced as part of a plea agreement to a minimum of 7.5 years in prison and was ordered to pay a $100,000 fine.

The lawsuit states that that McDow executed a general Power-of-Attorney in January 2016 naming Holmes, his then fiancée, as his agent in anticipation of his impending incarceration. Therefore, it claims that Holmes wrongfully sold or gave away personal property that was entrusted to her for safekeeping without disclosing any of the transactions to McDow.

"As Mr. McDow's agent, Ms. Holmes was a fiduciary with respect to matters within the scope of her agency," the lawsuit says. "Mr. McDow authorized Ms. Holmes to store, maintain, and protect his real and personal property during his incarceration."

According to court documents, the couple also appeared on a television show in 2016. In an interview, she openly acknowledged purchasing the items listed in the lawsuit as gifts for McDow.

McDow is set to be released from prison in 2023.

DOCUMENT: Read the full lawsuit

Lottery Post Staff

Comments

Jorli D's avatarJorli D

Stupid is as stupid does.

Bleudog101

I hope that the Judge dismisses the case with prejudice so he can't try again to sue her if I understand that jargon correctly.

But she was stupid for staying with him and bailing him out.   That should account for something all the money she lost on that loser.

She was on Lottery Changed My Life I believe and her Mom was the only one with any lick of intelligence out of the three of them.   The picture of the expensive play things for the kids strewn across the property; talking about ATV's etc was almost too much.

CDanaT's avatarCDanaT

If memory serves me correctly, I believe that this outstanding taxpayer was referred to as " Hot Sauce" back in the day of his dabbling of the opioid substance ........ Just curious Marie, how's all this working out for ya ??   

Bleudog101

Shoveling snow and ice and remembered was Iyanla Fix my life who featured a story on her and him, not Lottery Change my Life as I incorrectly stated.

partlycloudy07

Gifts are just that in NC you can't be a Indian giver here also he signed a POA apparently he doesn't understand in his drug induced state what a POA is 

 

North Carolina General Statute § 32C-1-102(9) defines a  power of attorney as a “writing or other record that grants authority to an agent to act in the place of the principal, whether or not the term  power of attorney is used.” Under North Carolina General Statute § 32C-1-102(11), the person granting authority in a ... with a

 

POA that is valid you don't have to have original signer if the cars were not in his name it doesn't matter anyway NC frowns upon selling a car to someone that doesn't posses a valid DL . 

 

This lawsuit will come down to ethics the remorse of the ex selling his "gifts" although it concerns me they were not in his name a judge will have to see the intention on both sides but sounds like to me when the money ran out or she broke it off with him she should not have used her POA to sell his "gifts" . Maybe he thought if she was broke she would take all his toys back to the tiny trailer that she lived in before she got rich

noise-gate

Quote: Originally posted by CDanaT on Feb 16, 2021

If memory serves me correctly, I believe that this outstanding taxpayer was referred to as " Hot Sauce" back in the day of his dabbling of the opioid substance ........ Just curious Marie, how's all this working out for ya ??   

Yes, it's him. That " hot sauce " gravy train finally came to a screeching halt!

Cassie8620's avatarCassie8620

was hoping i would learn:

Frown-after IYANLA.OPRAH interview she was doing even better and i still hope that for her children,herself, in my state here in NC

 

and i then read this with an ex-guy in her life, Lamar.

smh. still praying for her.

 

Also,i'm hating to know she spent so much cash on a guy in jail,her partner or 1 of the kids father, i didn't like that,but still again wishing her the best.

spirit38

It's her loss, she should have never bought him anything. She technically owes him those things back if they were really bought for him. I remember their story on one of the series I had watched, she was stupid how she handled her money, and she never only bailed him out once it was over 3 different times. She should have kicked him out of her life before she even claimed her lottery win.

noise-gate

Quote: Originally posted by spirit38 on Feb 16, 2021

It's her loss, she should have never bought him anything. She technically owes him those things back if they were really bought for him. I remember their story on one of the series I had watched, she was stupid how she handled her money, and she never only bailed him out once it was over 3 different times. She should have kicked him out of her life before she even claimed her lottery win.

She came to her senses, and that's  what matters.lt would be catastrophic if he bled her dry.

KY Floyd's avatarKY Floyd

"lt would be catastrophic if he bled her dry."

It sounds like he's asking for less than $1.5 million, based on the value of property that, if it was in fact given as gift, belonged to him. If that's enough to bleed her dry it's not his fault even if the property was never his.

Artist77's avatarArtist77

Their children are named Chili sauce, Sweet and Sour sauce, and Tomato sauce. I knew I would have a chance to use that line again.

In all seriousness, the sole question is whether these items were gifts so I doubt the case will be dismissed. I think she will end up paying some money out. These items do sound like gifts regardless of them both being idiots. The fact that she disposed of the items during his prison sentence, is not a point in her favor either.

En ReVal

so he wanted her to hold onto this stuff for 8 yrs?

HaveABall's avatarHaveABall

Artist77 I Agree!.  Once Marie decided to break off her relationship with Lamar, she should have filed to be removed as his legal POA.

Lamar's next POA (either personally or court appointed) should have been aprized of his assets and where they were.  It would have been up to Lamar and the POA to decide which clothing, cars, businesses, etc. needed to begin being advertised for sale in order to pay for maintaining/creating: term life insurance policy (with all his children listed as beneficiaries), car and miscellaneous possession storage units, etc.

noise-gate

Quote: Originally posted by KY Floyd on Feb 16, 2021

"lt would be catastrophic if he bled her dry."

It sounds like he's asking for less than $1.5 million, based on the value of property that, if it was in fact given as gift, belonged to him. If that's enough to bleed her dry it's not his fault even if the property was never his.

l was thinking " had he not" gone to prison Floyd, thus my comment- but l hear you.

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