By Kate Northrop
MIDLAND, Mich. — The body of a Michigan lottery winner was discovered by Midland police floating in a river over the weekend.
69-year-old Leroy Fick, of Auburn, was found dead right before 10:30 am on Sat., Jun. 5 in the Tittabawassee River.
In June 2010, Fick won $2 million in Michigan's Make Me Rich! Lottery and received a lump sum of about $850,000. He sparked controversy when he admitted to collecting food stamps 11 months after the win.
"If you're going to try to make me feel bad, you're not going to do it," he told reporters at the time.
Food stamps are paid for through tax dollars and are meant to help support low-income families. Eligibility for food stamps is based on gross income, but lottery winnings were considered liquid assets and did not count as income under federal guidelines.
After he made headlines, legislators instated a new law that requires the Michigan Lottery to provide the name and other information of a person who wins $1,000 or more to the Department of Human Services, who would then review a winner's assets to determine if they are still eligible to receive food stamps.
In January 2012, Fick was sentenced to 45 days in jail, one year of probation, and was handed several court fines and costs for illegally possessing hydrocodone, a prescription painkiller. Police discovered the drugs in his car when they pulled him over while driving on a suspended license.
"You've just been involved in so much criminal activity over such a short period of time, that I have to give you some jail," Isabella County Trial Court Judge Mark H. Duthie said to Fick before he was escorted out of the courtroom.
His attorney, John Wilson, had argued that Fick suffered from pain and that friends provided him with the painkillers. According to Wilson, he was living on a fixed income of $1,100 a month.
Despite winning a lifechanging amount of money in the lottery, Fick blew through his winnings in about one year. Wilson added that he was not equipped to handle such a large sum and that family and friends took advantage of him.
In addition to demolishing his home, building a new one on the same property, and purchasing a brand-new Chevrolet Camaro, Fick also spent a good deal of his winnings on expensive fireworks.
That October, he was sentenced to an additional 13 to 60 months in prison after he was convicted of larceny of a firearm and felon in possession of a firearm.
"The whole thing just blew up in my face," Fick told the judge while recounting his downfall. "I thought people would love me if I helped them out some. I had the wrong idea, I guess. They all turned on me and that was it."
Officers reported that the circumstances of Fick's death do not appear to be suspicious, however they did not provide any details on the cause or manner of death. Police are asking those who have any information to call 989-839-4719.
EZ come,EZ go and etc etc
Food stamps are paid for through tax dollars and are meant to help support low-income families. Eligibility for food stamps is based on gross income, but lottery winnings were considered liquid assets and did not count as income under federal guidelines.
Ha! Let's see people try to say it's not income to the IRS.
Sad, very sad, RIP. Just goes to prove that not having money is not as big a problem as some
would have us believe. Stupid is, stupid does.
The worm turned for Leroy back in 2010, l just hope he had quite a ride while he was still alive.
I understand that unemployment has to be reported as income to the IRS. I doubt food stamps fit that category.
To me he sounded like someone who could be in that dumb criminal list.
WOW What a Freaking Idiot!!!!!
Another idiot that shouldn't of won.
With a 2 million overhead, one doesn't have to cheat the govt. Should have just set up a trust, invested it. Could have done good things helped people, instead piss poor, face down in the drink
"He sparked controversy when he admitted to collecting food stamps 11 months after the win."
His $850,000 in winnings are only counted as income for the year he won and "11 months after" was probably the next year. Just based on his record, he probably never was an upstanding citizen.
"Officers reported that the circumstances of Fick's death do not appear to be suspicious..." ; dead in the river; nothing to see here- huh?
RIP Leroy Fick. It's a shame you were surrounded by people willing to take chunks of your lottery small nest egg and later cause you grief.
I can see these folks swallowing that worm at the bottom of the tequila.
"Let's see people try to say it's not income to the IRS."
Exactly. At least some part of the federal government consider lottery winning to be income. The year after you win you could potentially have a very low income by investing in things that don't generate income until you decide you want income, but that first year you definitely have income. That makes it seem pretty obvious that assistance should be for people with low income and modest assets.
"dead in the river; nothing to see here- huh?"
About 10 people drown every day in the US, most often because they're young and/or stupid. That's pretty close to natural causes.
Good points and many drowning happen with experienced swimmers. It only takes a teaspoon of water for some folks to drown; airway clamps down.
Unfortunately we had many what they call near drowning in PICU in my 20 years there. Then there's warm water vs cold water drowning, but all of ours were warm water drowning---the worst kind. Most were bathtub cases and some wandered off into the family pond.
The IRS would be after you like Shug running after Celi (Color Purple) if one thinks they can outsmart them.