In their quest to find the perfect place to raise their family, Lara and Roger Griffiths finally found it. Then everything began to unravel.
In 2005, Lara and Roger Griffiths of England won $2.76 million in the lottery. Before that, they had never fought.
They got rich after that, converting a barn into a mansion and buying a Porsche, not to mention taking lavish vacations to places like Dubai, Monaco, and New York.
The media reports that their good luck ran out in 2010 when a freak fire destroyed their home and left them with massive repair bills and no money for housing for seven months.
After Lara confronted Roger about emails that seemed to show he was interested in another woman, rumors began to circulate that Roger had driven away in the Porsche. Their 14-year marriage was terminated due to that.
Bud Post had a terrible year, losing $16.2 million and having his brother allegedly put out a hit on him.
Post, William “Bud,” won $16.2 million in the 1988 Pennsylvania lottery. However, he was $1 million in debt the following year.
I hope it never happens again,” Post remarked. It was a complete nightmare,” he said.
The brother allegedly hired a hit man to kill him so that he could inherit a portion of the earnings, and the ex-girlfriend won a lawsuit for one-third of the money.
Post went into debt investing in family businesses and ended up spending time in prison when he shot a debt collector.
According to The Washington Post, he had claimed, “I was much happy when I was broke.”
Before his death in 2006, Bud was able to get by on $450 a month in food stamps and a small pension.
Martyn and Kay Tott won $5,000,000, but they misplaced the winning lottery ticket.
Martyn and Kay Tott, a British couple aged 33 and 24, respectively, lost their $5 million lottery ticket after failing to keep track of their winning numbers.
Camelot Group, which operates the UK national lottery, spent seven weeks investigating the claim and ultimately persuaded authorities that the ticket was indeed a winner. Since the deadline for reporting lost tickets is 30 days, the lottery operator was relieved of any responsibility to make good on the jackpot, which became the greatest unclaimed sum since the lottery’s inception in 1994.
“Having the confidence that you will be financially secure is a wonderful feeling. Losing it has the opposite impact “The Daily Mail quotes Kay Tott. “It’s a huge strain on your marriage and a drain on your energy. Inhumane torture, if there ever was any.”
In Atlantic City, Evelyn Adams lost it all on the slots.
Adams, against all odds, won the lotto twice (1985 and 1986).
The New Jersey woman lost $5. 4 million at the Atlantic City casinos like BetShah.com, according to AskMen.com.
In 1993, after Adams garnered media attention, she told The New York Times that she was overwhelmed with gift requests.
She claimed, “I was known, and there was nowhere I could go without being recognized.”
The IRS demanded that Tonda Lynn Dickerson pay gift tax.
Former Waffle House server Tonda Lynn Dickerson reportedly refused to share her earnings with coworkers and was obliged to pay the taxman $1,119,347.90 as karma for her refusal.
What caused this to occur? To avoid paying tax on her winnings, Dickerson formed a corporation and gave her relatives 51% of the company’s equity.
By the end, Gerald Muswagon regretted his wild antics.
In 1998, a Canadian named Gerald Muswagon won $10 million in the Super 7 game.
The Globe and Mail of Canada reported that he could not deal with the sudden celebrity that came with his success.
The Globe and Mail reported, “He bought many new vehicles for himself and friends, bought a property that became a nightly ‘party pad,’ and frequently celebrated his new lifestyle with massive amounts of drugs and wine.” He purchased eight large-screen televisions for pals in one day.
Muswagon had previously invested heavily in a logging company that had to close its doors due to poor sales.
It was reported in The Globe and Mail that he was ultimately compelled to accept a job carrying heavy objects at a friend’s farm to make ends meet. Muswagon committed himself in 2005 by hanging himself in his parent’s garage, according to news accounts.
Suzanne Mullins was unable to get herself out of her financial hole.
In 1993, Virginia lottery winner Suzanne Mullins took home $4.2 million.
She and her husband and daughter shared the annual payouts, so Mullins received around $47,000. Her attorney claims she spent $1 million on her uninsured son-in-hospital law’s costs, and she swiftly found herself in debt as a result.
Attorney Michael Hart said in 2004 to the Associated Press, “It’s been a rough path” for Mullins. There have yet to be any quick flights to the Bahamas.
She borrowed $200,000 against her expected winnings from a lender specializing in the unique financial needs of lottery winners.
Mullins changed to a lump sum payment structure but never repaid the loan. The lending institution took legal action and ultimately settled for a paltry $154,000. Mullins possessed nothing of value.
Americo Lopes was sued after he resigned from his job and lied about winning.
According to the New York Times, Americo Lopes, a former construction worker, won the New Jersey lotto, quit his job, and then lied about needing a foot surgery.
After admitting his guilt to a former coworker, he and a few others conspired to punish Lopes for failing to divide the prize money as agreed. The coworkers alleged in their fraud action that they pooled resources to buy the winning ticket.
The judge ruled that Lopes must divide the reward money.
In the end, Ibi Roncaioli’s husband killed her because she had wasted her money.
Ibi Roncaioli of Ontario won $5 million in the Lotto/649 in 1991 but kept her plans for the money a secret from her husband.
According to the Toronto Star, Ibi’s gynecologist, Dr. Joseph Roncaioli, poisoned her with medications after discovering she had given $2 million of her inheritance to a child she had with another man.
He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and allegedly begged Ibi’s family for financial assistance with her burial.
Michael Carroll spent his life on the edge, and as a result, he lost everything.
According to the Daily Mail, Michael Carroll won £9.7 million ($15 million) in Britain in 2002 at the tender age of 19.
However, he reportedly fell back to square one within five years due to an alleged addiction to crack, parties, prostitutes, and automobiles.
We last heard that the former sanitation worker was looking for a job in his previous profession.
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