THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A McDonald's worker who claims to have a winning ticket for the world's biggest lottery prize is insisting she will not share her millions with the colleagues she was in a syndicate with.
Mirlande Wilson, a 37-year-old Haitian immigrant, said she purchased the ticket, now worth more than $100 million (£62 million), with her own money separately to those bought for the 14-strong syndicate at the fast food restaurant in Milford Mill, Maryland.
Her irate co-workers say however that they each contributed $5 (£3.12) before sending her out to buy last minute tickets for the group a few hours before Friday's nationwide Mega Millions draw, and are now demanding she pay up.
CCTV footage shows that the winning ticket was purchased from a nearby 7-Eleven grocery store at 7.15pm – around the time all the McDonald's workers agree Miss Wilson headed off to the shop.
Stephen Martino, director of the Maryland Lottery, said that the prize had yet to be claimed. "We can't wait to greet the winner of this world-record setting jackpot," he added.
In a phone call to the restaurant shortly after the numbers were announced at 11pm, Miss Wilson is said to have shouted: "I won, I won."
Her colleagues, who earn around $7 (£4.36) an hour, noticed that she had not said "we won," and were said to be immediately suspicious. » | Rosa Prince | New York | Monday, April 02, 2012
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