SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — For someone who struck it rich, William Rivenburgh had fairly modest plans about how to spend his lottery winnings three years ago:
Pay off debts, make home repairs and possibly take a family trip to Disney World. Whether any of those things happened is unclear.
What is clear is that the money Rivenburgh has gotten so far from the $1 million scratch-off ticket he won in 2006 seems to have evaporated. He doesn't have enough money to make $5,000 bail after he was arrested May 25 for alleged drug dealing.
Caught up in the same investigation, his wife, Alissia, 33, is also being held at the Schenectady County jail on $10,000 bail.
They are charged with one count each of criminal sale of a controlled substance and criminal possession of a controlled substance, both felonies. The Rivenburghs were arraigned June 17 and returned to court on Monday where they learned a grand jury indicted them. The indictment has not been handed up.
Court papers show the husband and wife allegedly made a $50 cocaine deal at their second-floor apartment at 99 Odell St. in the Central State Street neighborhood. The ordeal is far different than the joyous day they had Nov. 14, 2006, when state Lottery officials in Schenectady hosted the couple at a news conference to announce their win.
"I kept looking at it," William Rivenburgh told the Times Union at the time he won. "I didn't believe it at first."
Back then, he earned about $50,000 a year as a security guard for Entergy Northeast Nuclear. He was slated to receive 20 annual payments of $50,000 before taxes.
At the time, they were also raising four young children — two nephews, a niece and one of their own.
The couple married on Valentine's Day 2004, just before he was deployed to Kuwait for 10 months.
Don't blame it on the Lottery! It's not "the lottery curse". They were into drugs before they won the lottery. Some people get a chance in a lifetime and blow it! I have no sympathy for them or pity. Let this be a lesson to one and all.
Stupid people
Guilty by Lotto... hahaha
it's not the lottery's fault, it's the fault of the people who seem to win the lottery. It's less so a curse then it is personal susceptability...
Look at all the other Millionaires in the world, they don't seem to squander their fortunes in a year or 2.
An intervention can help people who struggle with a variety of mental health conditions and addictive behaviors but who are in denial about their situation or refuse treatment.
Some indications that a person one may benefit from an intervention include:
- Health problems because of the addiction or other disorder
- The person harms or threatens family, friends or strangers
- The persons Children are neglected or abused
- Job loss
- Financial problems
- Homelessness
- Risk of suicide or self-harm
- Driving under the influence
- Loss or alienation of friends
- Compulsive gambling
- Legal problems or criminal activity
- Previous unsuccessful attempts at treatment
An intervention is an organized, planned process in which family and friends, and sometimes colleagues and clergy or faith leaders, join together in a meeting to compassionately confront a person in an effort to encourage him or her to seek treatment for alcoholism, addiction or another mental health problem.
I thought NY pays annuities for scratchoff jackpots? If I'm correct then how can the brother be broke and the annuities go on for like 20 years?
Maybe he sold it to one of those rip off companies that buy annuities.
i hate these stories... i just can't stand them. anyone that is blessed like this and blows it. it makes you think why would God give them this money? they tell the good ones too... BUT like all news their are more bad ones than good ones!!! i hope that when i win big that i will end up with more money than what i won... and not in some gutter or jail... let this be a lesson to anyone who wins in the future!
The key to keeping riches is to hold on to what you have don't go crazy and give when God tells you to give and he will bless you even more!
"That is just my belief"
Walking out of the store with a lottery ticket in your hand - Ecstatic
Finding out that the ticket just won you a bunch of money - Catatonic
Not having a plan in place to set you and your family up for life - Idiotic
As I always tell my friends, I already have a plan, I just need the money for the plan to go into effect.
Fools, Fools, <snip> Fools..............always remember to keep something for rainy days. but guess what money in the hand of fools dont last. Wish them luck
OH WELL, some people don't need to get that sum of money!
I hope the couple brought SOMETHING to show for all that money!
Love the adult answers or opinions verses those made from less then matured individuals.
One can judge a circumstance, yet not JUDGE the persons. There in lays the difference between being an adult and remaining neutral.
I prefered the commentary about intervention, informative without casting stones.
I lost money in the stock market and I can assure folks that it was a FOOLISH RISK and one that I will not endure again. But that doesnt make my being a FOOL. Big difference.
It says they tried to make a deal at their "apartment". That's different from the "home repairs" he mentioned, meaning at one time they had a house.
As for money for bail, maybe they haven't received their payment yet this year?
What worries me is the fact they don't mention his job. Did he quit? Was he fired? Maybe he was laid off? $50,000 before taxes doesn't cover a lot. He still needed that job.
What about the kids? If they are both in jail, where are the 4 kids?
There are too many questions here and not enough answers.
What a sad situation. The kids are probably in foster care or with another relative. An addict hit 15,000 a few months ago in town. You know where he is? Back on the corner asking for change...I was sure he would be found dead somewhere from an overdose. Lots of addicts by scratch-offs. That's why a majority of the liquour stores and gas stations are in poor neighborhoods and sell the lottery.
Stupid Stupid Stupid, iv seen to many stories about people who won big amounts of money and they become broke in a short time.
I bet they are wishing that the infamous get out jail free card existed.......
Good post.
What I think is all people have problems in their lives and money can either solve or magnify them, and in this case it magnified them.
I'm sure that for ever story like this one, there are many more of people who have won and gone on to have happy lives enjoying their money and living in peace.
I thought dope dealers were usually multi-millionaires? Always on the News you see them find stacks of $100's in rubber bands. It would have been an interesting press conference: "Now that I won, I plan to retire from the dope dealing business!"
But this man never was a millionaire! He simply won a $1 million ANNUITY; which only paid out a gross of $50,000/year over 20 years.
Now let's look at that beginning $50,000 ... subtract the high New York Lottery STATE tax (possibly a county tax too) of at least 10%, PLUS simultaneously subtract the high FEDERAL lottery taxes of 31%. Hum, how much is the probable net remainder after taxes that this man gets to keep for spending, investing, or saving? The remainder amount is a maximum of only $29,500 a year!
You may notice that this $29,500 amount is certainly not enough to provide much yearly livelyhood for a household of 2 adults and 4 children. Rather, assuming this man was still able to keep his moderate paying security job (the article didn't indicate if he was still employeed) receiving gross of $50,000+/year, the amount of these two annual incomes ($79,500) is only enough to each year SLOWLY pay down: credit card debt, 2 vehicle debt, modest 3-bedroom house debt, a good family supper out once a month, a 4-day vacation MAX, a small bit of drugs.
Thus, if one or both of the adults became unemployed or unemployable (health), such would lead to financial devistation, depression, and possibly drug or alcohol usage (it's common). Put on your thinking caps folks! I wish this family well, and can understand how it makes no financial sense to pay a total of $15,000 in 2 jail bails in order to get themselves released from jail, especially if their savings accounts only add up to $5,000 or so.
I just don't understand the hostility here. Sure, most lottery winners seem to spend there loot on things I find silly, but it is their money, lucky S.O.B's though they may be. Honestly, I don't see why anyone is bothered by how he spent his money. Whether the money is gone because he put it up his nose or into a hedge fund, the story makes no mention of him blaming the lottery or his lottery winnings for his problems. It doesn't even mention that he spent his winnings on drugs, which is the direction most posters seem to be going.
like your forcast ...of the money trial ...............
it is a sad story ...money gets you in deep stuff and makes you fell so good but when your in jail and your broke its just another dream ;
.lets get a GET OUT OF JAIL FUND DRIVE going ... well right after I get my $$ million @