Bellevue man dreams of new home, new business, new life for his family
It's business as anything but usual for Phuc Nguyen of Bellevue as the New Year begins. Nguyen, 30, just completed a two-year apprenticeship as a painter and dreams of starting his own house-painting business. Who knows, it may be his own home that gets painted first. Nguyen plans to use some of the prize money from his $2.1 million Lotto Jackpot-winning ticket to open his own business and open the door to a new home and a new life for himself and his family.
Nguyen, who arrived in the United States from Vietnam in 1995, dreams of becoming a U.S. citizen and bringing his wife and daughter from Vietnam to join the family in Washington. That family includes a son, a sister, a brother, and Nguyen's parents.
"I feel like I've been given the chance to start again -- it's a new life," Nguyen said. "It's wonderful; it feels like the first time I saw my son-my first baby. "I want to own a business and a house, and this helps me start out. My parents haven't been back to Vietnam in nearly ten years," Nguyen said. "I've been trying to save money so my parents can go back to visit their parents-my grandparents."
Nguyen visited the Lottery's Seattle office today to claim his $2.1 million Lotto prize. He chose the Cash Option, to receive a one-time lump-sum payment of half the Jackpot amount. After 25-percent Federal Tax withholding, Nguyen's prize check totaled $787,500. Nguyen stopped on New Year's Eve at the Albertson's store on 15100 SE 38th Street, in Bellevue, to purchase his lucky Lotto Quick Pick ticket. That ticket matched all six winning Lotto numbers drawn by the Lottery on Wednesday evening-9, 10, 11, 26, 27, and 30. Nguyen isn't the only winner -- Albertson's will receive a Retailer Selling Bonus equal to 1-percent of the Jackpot amount ($21,000) for selling the winning ticket. Happy New Year!
Good for him. If he went "the other way," I would have wondered if the language barrier got in the way of the cash option.