MORRISTOWN, N.J. — A Morristown, New Jersey, school board member has come forward as the winner of the March 13 $211.7 million Powerball jackpot, the third largest single-ticket lottery payout in New Jersey.
Sandra McNeil is a middle-aged mother, said her attorney, Perry A. Pittenger of Scotch Plains. She was employed before the Powerball win, but has since taken a leave of absence from her job.
She has been serving part time as a member of the Morris School District school board for four years.
McNeil, whose main occupation was not disclosed, chose the cash option when she purchased her ticket, meaning she will receive about $101.6 million before federal and state withholding taxes are taken out.
"I give God all the glory for this blessing that He has given to me," McNeil said in a statement released by the New Jersey Lottery Commission. "He has seen and knows the highs and lows of my life, and knows the good I have done, and the good I hope I can continue to accomplish in His name."
The payout for a single lottery ticket is only surpassed by a $258 million win by Harold and Helen Lerner of Rutherford in 2005 and a $216 million jackpot won by a group of 10 Chubb employes in 2009.
McNeill bought her winning ticket at Gene's II Deli in Morris Plains, a popular lottery vendor on Speedwell Avenue. The jackpot had been growing since Feb. 10, and McNeil's win marked the first time a jackpot-winning Powerball ticket had been purchased in New Jersey since the state started offering the game on Jan. 31.
McNeil's win also marks the first time one state has ever sold the only winning ticket for both a Powerball jackpot and a Mega Millions jackpot, said Dominick DeMarco, a spokesman for the New Jersey Lottery Commission.
McNeil, who issued her statement through her attorney, said she planned to use her winnings to make sure her children were comfortable and could continue their education. Pittenger said McNeil waited the month after winning to consult with her lawyer, financial planner and accountant, as well as members of her family.
Although McNeil said she appreciated the attention of the Powerball win, she said she hoped to live her life quietly.
"I was a private person before God blessed me so generously, and that is how I wish to remain," she said.
Thanks to petergrfn for the tip.
Sweet win!
Good for her.
'Although McNeil said she appreciated the attention of the Powerball win, she said she hoped to live her life quietly'...
Might be hard to live quietly now that her name's out there. Do NJ winners have to disclose their identity?
I give God all the glory for this blessing that He has given to me
I thought God didn't believe in gambling...
Why can't you just be happy for her...why all the negativity?
because it wasn't me LOL
She was expressing her beliefs not those of her God.
Congratulations to Ms. McNeil - a very nice win indeed!!!
I wish her and her family all the best
I'm certainly happy for her.
Was just curious if she had the option to remain unidentified. That's the way to go if you can.
Congrats, to Mrs. McNeil on her win!
And no McCaskey, I don't believe that NJ allows someone to claim their winnings anonymously.
That is a common misconception started by people who aren't religious. There is nothing in the Bible that opposes gambling, and in fact there is hinting at the use of lotteries in the Bible.
It is refreshing to hear people like this fortunate winner make sure to mention the one thing that transcends their Earthly wealth.
Good for this lady....I hope she can quietly get away and not make too many mistakes....I was also glad to see that she Thanked GOD! Not for her win...but for the opportunity to DO GOOD with her win....
1. I bet nobody remembered who the Lerners were, until it was just mentioned here.
2. Notice that when I yelled for the winner to come forward, they did.
3. And IT'S NOT ME so people can now stop asking and I don't have to worry that I misplaced the winning ticket. I'll play at Gene's for the next one but you watch the next winner will be at Stop & Shop where I didn't play!
lol wow!!!
Some people say gambling is a sin....but whatever!!! when i win ima think GOD too. just like she did.....Congrats to her and very smart woman....she didnt take to long to collect and she grabbed all the right people to help,handle, and manage her windfall......
I respectfully disagree, i think it was started by the southern baptists so they would get more tithe $$$ hahaha
seriously though my father was a southern baptist preacher for years and felt strongly about gambling and drinking. I also have a feeling should I ever win a large jackpot my Christian grandmother would never accept a penny of it.
And many non-religious people are against gambling too.
Like I said, there is absolutely nothing in the Bible, and nothing in Christian doctrine, that is anti-gambling. I don't remember seeing a commandment about gambling either.
Many churches have bingo fundraisers and raffles and such. Gambling, like most things in life, is fine in moderation.
People who slam lottery winners for thanking God for their fortune are mainly non-religious people who try to create hypocracy where none exists. It is more of a window into the soul of the accuser, rather than the accused.
New Jersey again?! it seems like guys there spend all their disposable income on lotto. It pay eh? nice!
ME 2....let shoppin begin!
Many men don't believe in Gambling, they don't want to spend the money on Numbers! To divede their Land, GOD had Israel Cast lots to see who would win, what part of the Land! The CREATOR of Numbers is GOD, IF GOD did not Create Numbers we would be playing What?!!!
She did good in Thanking HE who CREATED the numbers, so she could play in the first Place.
I am Happy for Mrs. McNeil WTG!!! Mrs. McNeil
Play On!!!
And He certainly didn't care about the WV coal mine accident....
Todd ....THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!
Your comment was right on target.
I know we have been down this road before because in the past, I have posted scriptures from the Bible concerning the "casting of lots"........
Jesus talked more about money than he did anything else and for a good reason.
It is because of those scriptures as well as other biblical references that I truly believe that God is not against someone buying a lottery ticket just like He is not against someone drinking a glass of wine with dinner....
It is the addiction (idolatry) to these things (alcohol, the love of money etc.) that the Bible speaks against.
If you let these things take over your life.....it will ruin you, and that is what God warns us about.
As for this jackpot winner, this woman knows where her true wealth is....and giving HIM glory makes this win all the more sweeter.
(She is also smart for seeking advice BEFORE claiming her win!).
We have freedom of religion in this country and making light of someone's religious beliefs is a lowdown thing to do.
You wouldn't even be allowed to worship back in your country, unless it was worship of Kim il-sung or Kim jong-il.
Uh...Hello? Christianity wields massive political power in South Korea, which is my home country. And Buddhist temples own many expensive land properties.You are free to believe what you want in my home country, and SK is filled with all kinds of cults and fringe religious movements.
And I am an agnostic/deist. It's my strong belief that God (if exists) has no reason, intention, will to care about cosmic pond scums like us.
The good and the bad co-exist........
God says there will be trial and tribulations...but that does not mean that He does not care when they happen.
As far as the miners, they are like our firemen, policemen, and our armed forces....people who know the risk and yet they still step up to do the job anyway....that is bravery and courage that many of us will never display.
Like I said, in this country we are free to worship.
And keep in mind if it weren't for American forces South Korea would be under Kim jong-il and eating dogs to avoid starvation. Maybe you should thank God for that.
And when you say "pond scum like us" I know you're talking about your people and not Americans who fought and died to save your ungrateful asses from Communist dictatorship and starvation.
So much for remaining a private person. I just read another article about Ms. McNeil which discloses more personal information includng the location of her last job and the church she attends. The press is now interviewing her neighbors, co-workers and even her pastor. There is even this quote from her attorney:
Her attorney, Perry Pittenger of Scotch Plains, said his lucky client is wary of the notoriety that can follow sudden riches.
"She's not one for the limelight,' Pittenger said. 'While it's wonderful in many respects, it can also be a horror. We've all heard the horror stories about the pitfalls, the scam artists. We're trying to avoid that as best we can.'
I don't want to sound negative and I do wish Ms. McNeil every happiness but there's something about this "very private person" thing that bothers me. I consider myself a very private person and, if I won a big jackpot, the first thing I would want my attorney and financial advisors to do is find the best way to collect the money without putting my name out there. Why didn't Mr. Pittenger set up a blind trust and have the money put in the trust? Isn't that what you hire an attorney for - to protect your interest? It just doesn't sound like Mr. Pittenger did a very good job of protecting his client's privacy.
http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20100417/COMMUNITIES/100416068/Attorney-Morristown-lottery-winner-wants-to-avoid-spotlight
I didn't mean by that, Mr. Inbred Hick.
The pond scum means the entire life in this planet Earth. Not just you or me. Everyone and everything.
I'll bet you look like Moe from The Three Stooges like everybody else in your country.
Better check the oven, the Dog Casserole might be done. I hear the Mongrel Gravy is a real treat!
There are some states that won't allow you to claim your winnings with a blind trust. Not sure if NJ is one of them because I couldn't find that information on their website. However, I do know that Pennsylvania won't allow you to claim winnings with a blind trust.
In purchasing a Lottery ticket, the player agrees to comply with and abide by the state Lottery Law and related policies. The Pennsylvania Lottery’s long-standing public disclosure policy preserves the integrity of the Lottery and its games and ensures players that prizes are fairly awarded. Under the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know law, all payments made by the commonwealth are public information. Therefore, when a person wins the Lottery and payment is made, the winner's information is public. All but three states (Delaware, Kansas and North Dakota) have laws/policies that require the lotteries to release the names and cities of residence of winners. The Pennsylvania Lottery publishes all or most of the following information on its Web site for public inspection: Name of the winner(s); city or town; county and state in which the winner(s) reside; name of game won; date prize was won; and amount of prize won. If the prize is claimed in the name of a legal entity, the name and other relevant information of the entity and its partners, shareholder and beneficiaries will be released.
In the old days and mostly out west where I lived for a while there was a thing called "frontier justice". (It was long gone when I was there).
Lawyers new that if they did you wrong they would be hearing from you face to face.
That was in the days before the laws emasculated and feminized men.
Nowadays lawyers can do what they want and not have to worry about spitting out teeth later.
And that is a shame, though some lawyers would be wise to know that some people still live by the feud.
NJ doesn't allow you to claim using a trust or coporation or anything but your god-given name. I thought they made you do a "photo shoot" too, but I guess not. So if anybody ever wins anything in NJ, they know who you are and what town you live in. Doesn't matter if one person wins or ten, everything gets out. Sucks. If it makes sense they should drive across the bridge and play in Delaware....they keep secrets there :)
Congrats and good luck to the winner. She sounds like she is doing everything right.
Don't have a map in front of me and just having a little fun with you, but isn't the only direct way to get from NJ to Delaware by ferry?
The NJ Turnpike & I 295 connect to Delaware near Wilmington, DE.
I hope to turn my $2 MM payday from Friday into bigger things .... $88 Million MM CASH or $121.7 Million PB CASH would be nice .... my "friends" at the PA Lottery would ONLY get my name and town as required .... NO MOE!
I would help those that I choose to help .... and not honor any rquests for money .... e.g. I found another person that studies at the same university that my son attends. She works very hard and only gets to go home every two years and just has enough to get by .... I know others that would need help ....
Come on PB ....... I have struggled since losing my job in 2001 .... with 2 in College ...............
Ah, OK...just remember taking the Cape May NJ-Lewes Del. ferry years ago. Actually a fun little excursion.
Good luck to you (and me, lol) Tues. and Wed. nights. Actually, I'm planning on winning Ohio jackpot (8.1 mil.) tonight, lol.
Just an idea that I thought of:
For the states that do NOT allow a blind trust or other way to remain out of the spotlight, there is a "loophole" around it.
1. Once you confirm that your ticket is the winning ticket, get a new apartment. You have the money, it's no big deal.
2. Either quit your job or take an extended leave of absence. Either way, DO NOT tell anyone from either the press or the lottery where you used to work.
3. All they get is your name and your "new" address.
I'm not sure if this is cladproof, since really good journalists can find what they need, but it might help. That's my two cents.
I took the Cape May-Lewes ferry also, I enjoyed, wife was green ... lol!
Good luck to us all!
I would probably find a cheap apartment somewhere in another part of the state and use that as my "Address". I would not want to move and be away from family....and I like my house....I don't want a bigger house and then pay bigger taxes. I guess disconnecting the phone at the house would discourage people from calling, but the mailing and knocking on the door would be bothersome.
As much as I like my job, I would not want the hassle of being bothered or sued....there have been news items of people "claiming" to have contributed to buying a ticket or having a verbal agreement. I wouldn't want to quit and do nothing either. This is where I feel conflicted. I have read about people that win sometimes feel out of place because they want to accomplish something on their own merits. I know that volunteering is something that I would do more of if I won, I also would want to spend more time helping my family. There have been lottery winners that have said, looking after the money is a full time job too. This is the part where I would have to find balance. I would also want to start a business related to a hobby of mine. This is why I feel that I haven't hit the big one yet....there are still unresolved issues on what I would do with my life.
I know that tax/family law/ estate planning attys would be of use regarding the money, but the other important thing to discuss with an attorney is protection from the public for family, especially if you have young children. Attys involved in criminal cases or cases of high profile can probably provide the best advice on handling this. I have thought about this in terms of protection.
I guess that's why it is important to have the so-called "decision free zone" after a win.....lots of things to think about. I know that if I won I would be very giddy at first....then nervous in trying to get everything organized. THe good thing is that some problems would go away, but there might be bigger issues to deal with.
In PA, I would have 60 days to file a claim for cash or annuity on the big ones, but 1 year to physically claim the winnings. And it is all public.
In Md, I could claim anonymously, but only have 182 days to get my ducks in a row.
So there's the tradeoff....anonymous claim-shorter claim time-higher taxes OR public claim- 1yr claim time, lower taxes
"McNeil's win also marks the first time one state has ever sold the only winning ticket for both a Powerball jackpot and a Mega Millions jackpot, said Dominick DeMarco, a spokesman for the New Jersey Lottery Commission."
GREAT WIN SANDRA!
IGlenn, after reading your post, I did a little research. I was surprised to found that the New Jersey lottery laws were amended in September 2007 to make it virtually impossible to transfer or assign winnings to another person or entity without a court order!!! Makes me wonder how many other states have taken this ridiculous kind of action to keep winners from protecting their identity. In case anyone is interested in reading the Laws, here's the link: http://www.state.nj.us/lottery/general/6-4-1_lot_law.htm#13
This law has nothing to do with the identity of winners. It's a consumer protection law designed to protect winners of annuities who might consider selling their future payments for cash upfront from outfits like JG Wentworth.
The idea of creating an alterate address might work, but there are some serious limitations.
1. The lottery will anounce where the ticket was sold, so using an address that's far away probably won't throw anyone off the tracl if htey really want to figure out who you are.
2. What's your name? If your name is John Smith and the ticket was bought near a large town, you've probaly go tnothing to worry about, as liong as you don't do a press conference and let them get a picture. The problem is that many lotteries require that the winner allow a picture for promotional use. If your name is at all unusual, you might be completely SOL. How many people do you think are named Rush Limbaugh or Newt Gingrich, besides the ones we already know about?
3. It's a lot harder to keep it secret from people who already know you than keeping it secret from strangers. If you quit your job shortly after winning with a ticket that was bought close to your job, your coworkers are going to figure it out even if your name is John Smith and there are a dozen other John Smith's in the same town.
4. If you rent an apartment and then claim the prize without having changed the address registered with the DMV, the lottery is going to release the address on file with the DMV. Presumably that will be your real address.
Yah the man from indiana that didn't claim the prize is me. Some man named Mark truelock told the town of Morocco and a man named Josh Clemmons. Clemmons is a satanist and broke in with tranquilizers and stold the ticket that was on a desk under a paper. If you see either one of them bust them once in the head. True story and the law is a failure.
That's Morocco indiana