LAKEVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS: A Lakeville man was finally able to claim his $3 million lottery jackpot on Friday, July 30 nearly six months after his winning ticket was stolen by two convenience store workers, who got arrested after trying to cash in the big prize. “Definitely a good feeling,” Paul Little said after receiving his giant check for $3 million at Lottery headquarters in Dorchester.
At a press conference, Little expressed his desire to pay off his mortgage and to donate money to charity after claiming the big prize. "I've got to say, I'm pretty excited today because it's real today with the check in hand," he said before adding “I had a lot of things on my mind and I picked up the change, thought the tickets were in there and walked out, and the next morning I thought, well I must have lost them,” according to Boston 25 News. The diesel mechanic then thanked Mass Lottery for helping him. "It really gave me a greater appreciation for what the Mass Lottery does as far as making sure the rightful people get the award," said Little. "I can't say enough for all the people who helped me get to this point."
How did Paul Little lose his ticket?
On January 17, Little went to the Lakeville Market & Liquors and purchased two Mega Millions Quick Picks, two Mass Cash tickets, and a bag of barbeque potato chips. The shop worker, identified as 23-year-old Carly Nunes, printed out Little’s tickets and then rang up the rest of his order. But he accidentally left the tickets behind and assumed that he has lost them, according to the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office. After Little left, Nunes gave the tickets to the next customer to purchase lotto vouchers, who immediately returned them back. Officials assert that Nunes stole the tickets and said that Little, who is referred to as "him," must have owned them.
Later that night, the number was announced and Nunes had won the multi-million dollar prize. Two days later, Nunes' coworker Joseph Reddem, 32, drove Nunes and her boyfriend to the regional lottery headquarters in Dorchester, according to MassLive. At the Lottery office, a clerk grew suspicious after he noticed that the ticket was torn and had burn marks on it. After winning the prize, the trio was celebrating their windfall when Nunes and Reddem got into an argument. Officials overheard Reddem demanding a larger cut of the winnings after Nunes said she would only give him $200,000.
How did police arrest Carly Nunes?
After the argument, officials decided to summon Nunes for additional questioning over the poor condition of the ticket. Nines stated that the ticket had burn marks from being placed on a pipe and that accidentally torn it while taking it out of her purse. Unsatisfied with her answers, State Lottery Officials and the state police went back to check her store’s security footage, which confirmed that Little was the rightful owner of the ticket. Finally, Nunes told the authorities that she had accidentally taken the ticket rather than having purchased it. She then fled for two weeks before being arrested by state police. In court on Tuesday, Nunes entered a not-guilty plea to each allegation arising from the event, according to DailyMail.
Nunes has been held on a $10,000 cash bond on charges of stealing from a building and attempted larceny, as well as making a false claim and intimidating witnesses. Reddem pleaded not guilty to one count of attempted extortion and was allowed to go free. Massachusetts lottery authorities later started a flyering effort in the vicinity of the business to find Little. Prior to being contacted by authorities, he never knew he left a million-dollar ticket in the store, having assumed he lost the ticket. He only learned he was a billionaire after being questioned as part of the inquiry. Little now plans to pay off his mortgage and fix up his home, as well as donate money to charity.
