St. Louis' newest millionaires are two city employees who bought a winning Powerball ticket this month.
Tom Rea, a building maintenance supervisor for the city's department of corrections and his wife, Catherine Ruggeri-Rea, the city's courts administrator, were announced as the winners of a $70 million jackpot at a news conference Wednesday morning.
Rea, 62, has worked for the city for 40 years. Ruggeri-Rea, 61, has been the city's courts administrator for nearly 10 years.
Rea bought the ticket at a St. Louis Hills gas station on July 4. He said he later returned there to scan the ticket to see if it was a winner and couldn't believe when it said he'd won. He asked an employee to double-check.
"You won, sir, you won the big money," he remembers her telling him.
Rea said that before the lottery win he had visited a Bentley dealership with his wife to fantasize about one day owning one. After scanning the ticket, he called her and asked "What color Bentley do you want?" and told her they'd won the lottery.
Ruggeri-Rea, who was on crutches because she'd broken her heel, said she told him, "If you are lying to me, I will hit you over the head with my crutch."
The $70 million jackpot is the ninth-largest ever won in Missouri. The last time someone won a big Powerball jackpot in Missouri was Nov. 8, 2014. That winner, a woman from Texas, won $202 million after buying her ticket at Union Station in St. Louis.
The business that sold this month's winning ticket, a Gas Mart at 6901 Hampton Avenue near Loughborough Avenue, will receive a $50,000 bonus.
The winning numbers were 3, 6, 14, 18, and 24, with Powerball number 21. The drawing was, appropriately enough, on Independence Day.
The couple chose to take a lump-sum payment of $42.7 million instead of the $70 million in installments.
The St. Louis Hills couple, who have no children, are still making plans for how they'll use the money. Rea, who is on vacation this week, said he wasn't sure if he'd return to work. Ruggeri-Rea said she wanted to finish up a couple of big projects and would stay in her job until October.
Ruggeri-Rea was appointed to the courts administrator position by Mayor Francis Slay in 2006. She doesn't make the news much in that role, but she did come under some scrutiny in 2012 for paying her brother $2,250 for "emergency" accounting work without a contract. She said emergency help was needed to get the court's financial books in order after staffers left. At the time, Slay's administration said she didn't follow procedures but didn't break any law. The threshold for a competitive bidding process is $5,000.
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Thanks to lele100 for the tip.
Congrats and what a wonderful husband!
Congratulation to Tom & Cathy. Spend wisely guys.
No children? Adopt me!
Even though a Bentley (Continental GT, what I would want if I could afford one w/out worrying about the price) can be $250K (more-or-less), I don't blame 'em. If I ever win, my BMW purchase won't seem so extravagant.
but I think above all would be my kustom RV that started life as a
Stewart & Stevenson M1083A1 MTV 6x6 Cargo Truck from Uncle Sam's toy box
Missouri and Illinois keep the Midwest on the jackpot map. Nice
MM was won in Missouri last night.
Yes I just saw that. I'm glad that people are still hitting the JP even when it's low. MUSL's plan to make it harder to win isn't working so well for them.
I sorta like the part about hitting the old man over the head if he was lying
Congrats to you both ....enjoy and have fun !!!
Congratulations.
I went to that gas station, like maybe 3 days before he did, lmaoooooooooooooooooo
But, I don't play Powerball that much, every now and again.
I think I'll go there later and buy some quick picks, just because, lmaooooooooo.
Missouri always has a lot of jackpot winners for all games.
"BIG" Congrat'$ 2U>>>>T & C cause these 3-6-14-18-24 + 21
RD
kind of NUMBERS that will BLOW UR MIND everyTIME
Happy 4th of July 2015
Happy Labor Day 2015
Happy Halloween 2015
Happy Thanksgiving Day 2015
Happy Chanukah 2015
Merry Christmas
2015 
$110 million Powerball jackpot could be your "ticket" to TRUMP status or HILL status if you can't afford some of the things they "ENJOY every DAY"
Congrats to the lucky winners.
Pro bono
If you ever gona see
A rainbow, you gotta
stand a "little" rain.
$ 110 million Powerbal jackpot got hit 7-1-15 by some LUCKY somewon. " Another won bites D dust" ......CONGRAT' $
7-13-24-48-57 + 15
Missouri law needs a changing'!
Missouri Lottery - FAQs
If I should win the jackpot/top prize, do I havyye the option of remaining anonymous to the public and the media?
Missouri state law requires the Lottery to release your name, city of residence and the amount of the prize. For more information, see If You Win a Jackpot.
While winners don't have the right to anonymity, the Missouri Lottery gives winners good advice.
If You Win a Jackpot
Do all of your numbers match those drawn? Sit down and take a few deep breaths — your life may never be the same again. However, before you shout your good news from the rooftop or quit your job, do some serious thinking and go through the following steps:
Take your time on important decisions.
This is the most important thing to remember. During a huge life change, it is crucial that you remain calm, take your time and don't make rash decisions like quitting your job or moving to another state. You will have a lot of decisions to make, and you want to be sure they are the best decisions.
The great news is you probably have more options and choices than ever before! And according to 97 percent of our past jackpot winners, the experience has been a very positive one.
For more information about claiming your prize or the process, call the Missouri Lottery headquarters at (573) 751-4050 and ask to speak to the Game Accounting Manager.
Sign your ticket* and keep it secure.
Before you do anything else, sign the back of your ticket and put it in a safe place. Your ticket is your only claim for the prize. We recommend a locked box or a safe deposit box.
Mum's the word.
Tell the fewest people possible. Good news spreads fast, and you may have news media coming to your door or people calling before you have a chance to place your claim or put your ticket in a safe place.
Get sound advice.
Get professional tax and/or legal advice to help you decide the best way for you to claim your prize.