Mirlande claimed her lottery ticket was so well hidden she couldn’t find it
Mirlande Wilson is one of the more fascinating lottery winners we have featured here at Euro-Millions.org, after her claims of winning the big prize were brought into question when her ticket failed to show up.
Wilson, 37, claimed that she was one of the lucky few US citizens to have become an instant multi-millionaire and bag herself a cool $105 million in the process after her ticket won the Maryland Mega Lotto jackpot prize back in April, 2012.
HIDDEN TICKET
Upon being identified as the winner of the huge jackpot sum, Wilson stated that she had hidden the winning ticket away where nobody could possibly find it. However, it soon seemed that she had hidden it so effectively that even she was not able to find it.
Wilson caused speculation about how genuine her claims were when her body language appeared to be so composed and relaxed for a woman who could not find the winning lottery ticket that would bag her over one hundred million dollars.
SYNDICATE CLAIMS
Concern was also raised by the fact that co-workers at her McDonald’s workplace claimed the ticket was in fact part of a syndicate that they were involved in. Wilson denied this and then stated the ticket was one she had bought herself and not part of a syndicate. It was after these claims from her co-workers came out that Wilson had initially declared she had mysteriously lost the winning ticket.
At the time, Wilson said “I have no idea where it is. I’m not sure I have it. I’m still looking for it. I haven’t even looked in my uniform pants yet.”
She added “I’m still looking everywhere to find it, in my purse, everywhere.”
Suspicion was further aroused when Wilson’s daughter Stephanie revealed that Wilson was not even allowing family members to look for the ticket. It did not add up as the sort of behaviour attached with an individual whose entire financial future depended on the materialisation of the winning ticket.
Wilson stated “It’s a blessing from God. If it’s meant to be, we’ll [find and] claim the ticket.”
Wilson’s McDonald’s co-workers remained sceptical about Wilson’s claims. One co-worker labelled her as “strange” and claimed that they did not believe her insistence that she alone had bought the ticket that had won the big prize persisting with the argument that the winning ticket was part of a work syndicate.
Stephen Martino, a Maryland lottery director, said “We don’t know any more than the public or media does and it’s all speculation and we’re not going to get involved in that.”
LAWSUIT
However, later in 2012 a lawsuit was filed by fourteen of Wilson’s co-workers who claimed she had tried to defraud them by purchasing a lottery ticket as part of a syndicate and then claiming the winnings for herself. The co-workers are now attempting to sue Wilson for a share of the $100 million.
Controversy still shrouds the issue with Wilson never having actually claimed the multi-million dollar prize. That has not stopped the prosecution from claiming that Wilson has had others claim the prize on her behalf in an orchestrated scam involving other individuals. The prize was eventually claimed by three public school workers who claimed $30m each after taxes. It has so far been unproven if these three individuals have any links to Wilson and the Maryland lottery officials continue to state that there has been no proof that Wilson was guilty of fraud in this matter. The mystery continues.