Mirlande Wilson, McDonald's Worker, Claims Mega Millions Winning Ticket Was Not Paid For By Co-Workers

Following last week's Mega Millions buzz, the mood has shifted from excitement to fury over Maryland's unclaimed winning ticket.

Mirlande Wilson, an employee at a Maryland McDonald’s, claims she holds a winning ticket, which would make her one of three winners of Friday's record-high $640 million jackpot, reports the New York Post.

But Wilson's coworkers allege that her ticket was part of a lottery pool, and that she must share the wealth.

37-year-old Wilson told the New York Post that although she did take part in the pool, she bought the winning ticket on her own. Another person who took part in the pool refutes Wilson's claim and says Wilson was given additional money late Friday night to buy extra lottery tickets before the Mega Millions drawing.

Wilson has yet to claim her prize.

Three winners hailing from Kansas, Illinois and Maryland were drawn on Friday and will split the historic $656 million payout, notes ABC News. No winners have yet been identified.

If Wilson is indeed a winner, she'll be able to choose between receiving her prize in 26 yearly payments totaling $218.6 million or a one-time lump sum of $157.8 million.

Maryland lottery communications director, Carole Everett, told ABC News that there is no evidence that Wilson's story is true.

"There's nothing to substantiate anything," Everett told ABC. "It's probably not this person."

This isn't the first time an office Mega Millions pool has lead to mega mayhem.

Americo Lopes, a New Jersey resident and winner of a $38.5 million lottery jackpot, was sued by five co-workers who accused him of not sharing his earnings after the six men had pooled money to buy lottery tickets. Last month, a jury ordered Lopes to share his winnings with the five men.

Check out some crazy lottery win stories:

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• New York Brothers Charged With Scamming $5 Million Lottery Ticket

  Two brothers from central New York who <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/13/andy-and-nayel-ashkar-lottery-scam_n_2123886.html">claimed a $5 million lottery ticket sold at their family's store were accused in November 2012 of scamming the winning ticket from a customer.</a> Andy Ashkar, 34, and Nayel Ashkar, 36, are charged with second-degree attempted grand larceny and fourth-degree conspiracy.

• Chicago Man Wins New Jersey Lottery While Cleaning Up After Hurricane Sandy

  John Turner, a 38-year-old Chicago man, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/11/john-turner-wins-lottery-_n_2105194.html">bought a winning $100,000 lottery ticket </a>after coming to New Jersey to help clean up after Hurricane Sandy. Turner runs National Catastrophe Solutions of Chicago, a local water removal business.

• Homeless Man Wins $200,000 Lottery Prize

  A homeless man in Greenville, S.C. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/19/homeless-man-wins-lottery-greenville_n_1989771.html">won $200,000 from a scratch-off lottery game</a> in October 2012.

• Teen Cancer Survivor Wins Mega Millions Lottery

  Nicholas Ruth, a 19-year-old cancer survivor, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/26/nicholas-ruth-teen-cancer-survivor-mega-millions-lottery-video_n_1916132.html">matched five of the six numbers in the state's Mega Millions lottery</a>, earning himself a second-tier prize of $250,000 in September 2012. After taxes, Ruth will have about $165,000 to spend and plans to donate some of his money back to the organizations that helped him with his leukemia.

• Friends Win Mega Millions Jackpot After Playing Together For 25 Years

  Willie McPherson, 74, and Christopher Manzi, 44, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/06/mcpherson-manzi-mega-millions-lottery-25-years_n_1944181.html#slide=757174">won a $14 million jackpot in September 2012 </a>after playing the Mega Millions lottery together for 25 years, according to the New York Post. The two had been buying lottery tickets together after becoming friends while working at Manzi’s print shop in Manhattan.

• Lotto Winner Found Million Dollar Ticket While Cleaning Out Desk

  Retired hospice chaplain Ron Yurcus <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/15/ron-yurcus-glen-ellyn-lot_n_2139308.html">stumbled across a million-dollar miracle when he found a winning lottery ticket while cleaning out his desk</a> in November 2012. He had purchased the Powerball ticket from a BP gas station two months earlier.

• Geniuses Outsmart Massachusetts Cash WinFall

  A group including MIT undergraduates and a biomedical researcher <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/02/massachusetts-cash-winfall-lottery_n_1729416.html" target="_hplink">discovered a loophole in the Cash WinFall game</a> that netted them nearly $48 million. Apparently, lottery officials knew about the scam since at least 2010, but did nothing about it because it generated $16 million in revenue for the state.

• Man Wins Lotto, Bails Himself Out Of Jail

  After John Ross Jr. won a 'Set For Life' scratch off game, he was looking forward to turning his life around. However, Ross soon <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/12/john-ross-california-lott_n_1590089.html" target="_hplink">found himself behind bars</a> after he allegedly helped a woman hide and repair a stolen car.

• Clerk Steals Winning Ticket From Great-Grandma

  A store clerk in England tried to turn in 77-year-old Maureen Holt's winning lottery ticket himself after <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/02/lottery-ticket-stolen-from-great-grandmother_n_1733871.html" target="_hplink">telling her it was a losing ticket</a>.

• Woman's Friend Steals Winning Scratch-Off

  A South Carolina woman's luck stopped short after she told a few friends about her winning $500 ticket. Willie Jones, a friend of the winner, was <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/19/south-carolina-stolen-lottery-ticket_n_1686630.html" target="_hplink">charged with stealing her ticket</a>.

• Controversy Over Record Mega Millions Jackpot

  After <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/06/mirlande-wilson-mega-millions-mcdonalds_n_1408105.html" target="_hplink">McDonald's employee Mirlande Wilson</a> falsely claimed she won Mega Millions' record $656 million jackpot, three <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/10/maryland-mega-millions-winner_n_1414857.html?ref=money#s785675&title=Undocumented_Immigrant_Awarded" target="_hplink">Maryland school teachers</a> stepped forward to claim their share of the prize.

• Woman 'Hides' Winning Ticket At McDonald's

  Mirlande Wilson, a McDonald's employee in Baltimore, claimed she <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/02/mirlande-wilson-maryland-mcdonalds-worker_n_1396943.html" target="_hplink">had won the record-high $656 million Mega Millions jackpot </a>and that she <a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/what_mega_mess_wHA9HVdfxA1VDSqWn58KtJ" target="_hplink">was not going to share her winnings</a> with co-workers, who alleged that Wilson was a part of a workplace lottery pool. Wilson announced that she had <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/04/marlinde-wilson-mega-millions-winner-ticket-mcdonalds_n_1402892.html" target="_hplink">hid the winning ticket at a McDonald's</a> and subsequently <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/06/mirlande-wilson-mega-millions-mcdonalds_n_1408105.html" target="_hplink">claimed to have lost the ticket</a>. In the end, it was revealed<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/10/maryland-mega-millions-winner_n_1414857.html" target="_hplink"> Wilson never even had the winning ticket</a>.

• Teen Finds Ticket In Messy Bedroom

  Ryan Kitching, a Scottish teenager,<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/04/ryan-kitching-teenage-winning-lottery-tickert-clean-room_n_1319413.html" target="_hplink"> found a winning lottery ticket hiding in his bedroom</a> after his mother told him to clean his room. The ticket is worth more than $80,000.

• Chicago Couple Keeping Millions Secret

  One Chicago couple won <a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-11-06/news/ct-met-anonymous-lottery-20111106_1_lottery-winners-illinois-lottery-lottery-jackpot" target="_hplink">$30 million in the Illinois lottery</a>, but didn't even tell their kids, according to the <em>Chicago Tribune</em>.

• Connecticut Money Managers Win Big Jackpot

  Greg Skidmore, Brandon Lacoff and Tim Davidson, who work at an asset management firm in Greenwich, one of the most affluent towns in America, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/29/254-million-jackpot-connecticut-money-managers_n_1119321.html">came forward as lottery winners in 2011</a>. Their lawyer said they formed a trust to manage the money after Davidson bought the $1 winning ticket at a Stamford gas station.

• Lotto Winner Continued To Collect Food Stamps

  Amanda Clayton, 24-year-old from the Detroit-area,<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/08/amanda-clayton-michigan-lottery-food-assistance-stamps_n_1330716.html" target="_blank"> continued collecting $200 in government food assistance</a> after she won a $1 million lotto prize.

• Undocumented Immigrant Awarded Lotto Prize After Lawsuit

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/09/jose-antonio-cua-toc-undocumented-immigrant-lottery-ticket_n_1334564.html" target="_hplink">Jose Antonio Cua-Toc, a foreign national from Guatemala,</a> sued his former boss to reclaim his lotto money, which he had given to his employer out of fear of being exposed as an undocumented immigrant. Cua-Toc won the lawsuit.

• Iowa Lottery Winner Claims $16.5 Million Prize At Last Minute

  The winner of an <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/30/iowa-lottery-winner-last-minute_n_1176971.html">Iowa Lottery ticket in 2011 </a>valued at $16.5 million waited until two hours before the deadline to claim the prize. The ticket was purchased nearly one year ago.

• Winning $80K Lottery Ticket Donated To Burglarized Georgia Church

  In 2011, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/03/winning-80k-lottery-ticke_n_947272.html">an anonymous donor stepped in to help a Georgia church that was burglarized with a winning $80,000</a> lottery ticket the Associated Press reports.

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Comments

[Andrew Ellia]

06:44 AM on 02/08/2013

thanks to your spell ASHRA,i contacted ashra spell temple and asked that a lottery winning spell should be caste for me , and ashra replied to me that once the spell is caste i we see the winning numbers in a dream ,last night, I had a dream but only remembered 5 lotto numbers anyway in the dream I was questioned how I got the winning numbers to win $30 million dollars and the ticket I bought was rejected for some reason. then i contacted ashra again and explained the dream and he interpreted the meaning of the dream and told me the numbers to play When I played the numbers ,as instructed, I won $24,000.00. My heart was racing so fast, it was incredible. After this substantial win, our lives have been totally transformed and are full of love and he also help me to cast a love spell that that also made my ex returned back to me. . . You said it would come right and it did. The reality is infinitely greater than the dream. you can also contact ashra on personal email address:[e-mail]

[beherenow54]

01:50 PM on 04/07/2012

When you go in to make a purchase of 15 or 16 "dollars worth" of tickets, you don't usually get 15 or 16 separate tickets, you get 2: one with 10 numbers and one with 5 or 6 numbers. You don't normally ask for 15 or 16 separate individual tickets and they don't ask if you want individual tickets; they just put them all together. If you hand them money and say give me tickets, they'll do the same thing: 10 on each ticket (I think that's the highest number you can get on one ticket).

Therefore, if she were to find her tickets and had 2 tickets with 15 or 16 numbers on it, and one separate ticket she would probably be telling the truth.

[Southrnbelle]

12:45 PM on 04/07/2012

Such greed.

You better watch you back, girl.

[April Fee]

10:40 PM on 04/06/2012

Pools are bad all around for obvious reasons but greed of this magnitude won't get you into Heaven any easier, if at all!

[sdoowag]

08:22 PM on 04/06/2012

Greed...tsk, tsk. Even you split the money between the 15 people, you're still $10M to the good!!! Better to split it than live with the consequences. If copies of the tickets weren't provided, no proof, split it. For $10M??? SPLIT IT!!!

[truman1987]

05:24 PM on 04/06/2012

I took the money people in my company gave me for lottery tickets and bought beer with it instead. Money well spent I say.

[SayHi2YourMom4Me]

05:05 PM on 04/06/2012

Don't play in a pool if you don't want to share the winnings.

[Betrayed]

11:35 AM on 04/06/2012

She will be looking over her shoulder the rest of her life.

[Gizmo9]

09:57 AM on 04/06/2012

Everybody who is in a pool should have copy of the tickets that were bought from the pool. If they don't then they can only blame them self.

[sanjeevsaikia]

08:38 AM on 04/06/2012

crazy situation. All that aside, if it were you, would you take the entire sum in one go or in installments... I'm daydreaming about it LOL @sanjeevsaikia

[aritul]

01:42 PM on 04/06/2012

Installments.

[beherenow54]

01:45 PM on 04/07/2012

lump sum. I don't trust the money to be there 26 years from now. lump sum can be invested, although many lottery winners never bother and are broke within 5 years.

[artism1]

04:11 PM on 04/05/2012

You can play in every single lottery and powerball drawing and on multiple tickets. Not only that but you will never have to worry about being in a pool where someone can take off with your winnings. Not only that but you can build a residual income while you wait to hit the jackpot. tinyurldotcomslash7z3yap2

If you like playing the lottery and you like making money then check it out. You can thank me later. Ever since the prizes have double people have been jumping on this opportunity because heck somebodys going to make money with this thing. Might as well be me...

[Steve1961]

08:16 AM on 04/06/2012

The lottery is a loser's bet. If someone buys a ticket for every drawing, that tells me about that person's thinking and logic. If you don't buy a personal ticket, you never know if you could have gone to the chocolate factory. But if a group of co-workers is in a pool and they win, you will know you could have been in the happy group if you gave $5 a week.

[americanalien]

12:12 AM on 04/05/2012

In politics Mirlande Wilison would be a Republican.

[bubo909]

02:26 AM on 04/05/2012

Oh, something tells me she votes straight D every time.

[SayHi2YourMom4Me]

05:11 PM on 04/06/2012

Why do you guys even assume she votes? Only like 60% of people even vote. When I see comments that assume some person votes one way or another, I think it's silly because a lot of people don't even vote.

[Steve1961]

08:00 AM on 04/06/2012

Looks like she thinks she is entitled to things that someone else paid for. Depends on how you look at it.

[NC1165]

11:46 AM on 04/06/2012

Most people simply refer to that as welfare.

[Doug smove9072]

10:53 PM on 04/04/2012

Back when I worked in an office that had a lottery pool, the person who bought the tickets would make copies of all the tickets and everyone who contributed would get a copy. End of story. By the way, if she does have the winning ticket, she's going to lose any court case.

[Steve1961]

08:10 AM on 04/06/2012

The person buying has to be of character - otherwise insist on copies. I used to be the buyer of our pool. We had a contract of who was in and what was to be purchased weekly, We stopped doing copies because of the hassle and use of company equipment thing.

I know that this type of lottery is a fool's bet so I have NEVER purchased a personal ticket for myself. The group thing was for fun and there was no way I was going to not be a part of a "lottery dance" should lightening strike a rock on Mars. I quit my supervisor job 2 years ago, but still participate. The buyer is my ex-assistant and I would trust her with my life.

Again - copies should be made unless your buyer has personal character and can be trusted implicitly.

[Deborah H]

10:49 PM on 04/04/2012

I HAVE REAL DOUBTS ABOUT THIS WOMANS CLAIMS SO I HOPE THE OTHER TICKET BUYERS DON;T GET TOO UPSET UNTIL SHE PROVES SHE HAS THE TICKET, AND THEN LAWYER UP!

[Deborah H]

10:42 PM on 04/04/2012

FIRST PROVE YOU HAVE THE WINNING TICKET, THEN IF YOU DO SHARE THE WINNINGS 20 MILLION IS PLENTY TO MAKE THE FAMILIES DREAMS COME TRUE!