Lottery justice
Public defenders say they share $45 million lotto jackpot
DALLAS (AP) - The latest group of Lotto Texas winners - 23 in all - consider it justice that they'll share an estimated $45 million jackpot.
The winning ticket for Saturday night's drawing is claimed by a group of lawyers, investigators and secretaries with the Dallas County public defender's office.
"We have attorneys who won, investigators who won, secretaries who won - our interpreter won, so it ran the gamut of our office," Jane Roden, one of the group, told Fort Worth television station KXAS on Sunday.
She said when she learned the winning numbers, "we pretty much went berserk after that and we haven't slept since."
If their ticket is validated by the Texas Lottery, they'll each receive $56,000 per year for 25 years.
"All I know is that at 11:10 last night, I became eminently aware that my life had changed forever and it would never be the same again," said King Solomon, an attorney for the public defender's office.
Solomon did not immediately return a telephone call Sunday night from The Associated Press.
So far, the state lottery can only confirm that one winning ticket for the latest drawing was sold at JJ's Convenience Store in Terrell. The winning numbers were 2, 16, 24, 42, 48 and 50.
"No one can confirm a winner until they bring a ticket in to be validated," Texas Lottery spokesman Steve Levine said in Austin. "They seem like a nice group of people, but until we get the winners validated all we can say is that one ticket was sold at the convenience store."
The group had used $123 in winnings from Wednesday's lotto drawing to purchase tickets for Saturday night.
"I stopped at four different places in Terrell and just lucked out that this one place had the right Quick Pick. That's what I got," said Larry Reid, chief investigator for the office.
The convenience store would receive a payment for selling a winning ticket.
"It feels great," said Jim Phounsavath of JJ's. "I am not winning the money, but I am proud for them and I am proud for the owner. Congratulations to us all."