He became a multimillionaire overnight but he deceived and betrayed his friends, they took him to court and he lost his fortune

Américo Lopes was responsible for buying the lottery tickets for a group of colleagues, but ended up opting for the selfish way out after win a prize of 38 million dollars and decide, in an unexpected turn, keep it secret to the rest of his classmates.

Find out the story of the Construction worker who became a millionairebut due to an act of selfishness he almost lost everything.

The story of Américo Lopes, the worker who became a multimillionaire by betraying the trust of his friends

Lopes, employee of Berto Construction, Inc.., maintained a tradition with his peers working: Play the US Mega Millions Lottery weekly. He was the ‘official’ person in charge of buying the tickets. Until In 2009, luck smiled on him: One of the tickets he purchased was a winner of a jackpot of $38 million.

He kept the secret, even after leaving his job shortly after. An act that not only broke the trust and good vibes that existed between him and his colleagues, but also laid the groundwork for a legal and ethical drama in all rules.

Over time, the truth came to light. Lopes’ colleagues, upon discovering the deception, took legal action. They argued that the winning ticket was part of their group bet and that they were therefore entitled to a share of the prize.

Finally, The jury ruled that Lopes should split the prize with his colleagues.The bettor was left with approximately $17.4 millionwhile each of the Five plaintiffs received around 2.9 millions of dollars.

Paradoxically, while the Lopes’ colleagues expressed satisfaction with the rulingconsidering the verdict fair (even if not equitable), Lopes responded with discontent, claiming that he had been robbed of the money he had legitimately earned alone. Striking, but real, an act typical of a selfish and greedy soul.