“I knew that I wanted to get a lawyer and try to follow the procedures that they tell you to follow”.
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They have no plans to move from their small, grey, one-story house in Munford, a town of about 6,000 north of Memphis.
She lives across the street from the family and had no idea they had won. The other winning tickets were sold in California and Florida.
Friends say John is an engineering consultant in Memphis, while Lisa works for a dermatologist, also in Memphis. The couple is in their middle 50s. “They are responsible. They’ve always lived within their means”, said Cole, who owns an auto parts store in town. Their neighborhood is a quiet, close-knit suburb of well-kept single family homes.
The couple revealed their plans to pay off their mortgage and their daughter’s college loans at a press conference, which their daughter, Tiffany, and their rescue dog, Abby, also attended. The Robinsons’ son, Adam, is an electrician. The Observer reports Reddit users are claiming he Photoshopped the picture as a publicity stunt, but USA Today confirms Bragg is indeed from Chino Hills, where a winning ticket was sold.
Any doubts were erased Friday afternoon when the Tennessee lottery tweeted out confirmation that the Robinsons had come to their headquarters to claim the prize.
The Powerball jackpot now resets at $40 million.
Josh Nass, a spokesman for philanthropist Shlomo Rechnitz, the owner of the nursing home, told BuzzFeed that he had been unable to contact the woman after news of the reported prank emerged. After finding the winning numbers on Twitter, she and her daughter saw they had a $1 million victor. So the Robinsons would have to get right back on a plane to Tennessee to claim their prize.
The announcement of the lottery winners came after the previous 19 draws produced no jackpot winners, and the grand prize rolled over each time.
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In Florida, the money goes for the state’s Educational Enhancement Trust Fund, them it is distributed for the stated legislature to wherever is needed, said Connie Barnes, Florida’s Lottery spokesperson. The family was joined by their new lawyer, Joe Townsend, who was first to urge them to make their TV appearance.
