The winner of one of the largest prizes in the United States squandered his millions of dollars and brought misfortune to his family.
Jack Whittaker was a construction businessman in the United States who rose to fame after winning one of the largest prizes in lottery history. The North American obtained 314.9 million dollars in the multi-state Powerball drawing in 2002. But his new life as a billionaire brought only misfortune and suffering to his family.
The lucky owner of the game’s only winning ticket was already a well-known man in his town of Putnam, in the State of West Virginia. His popularity was due to his position as president of the construction company Diversified Enterprises Construction and because he had an estimated net worth of 17 million dollars. The exorbitant increase in his wealth prompted him to lead a life of vices, waste and ostentation, which attracted the attention of countless criminals.
What happened to Jack Whittaker after winning the lottery
The construction engineer won his prize after spending $100 on tickets due to the incredible amount of money accumulated in the Christmas raffle. Whittaker promised during his award presentation that money wouldn’t change the way you are. This statement was quickly contrasted by the businessman’s own behavior because He left more than $50,000 at the Pink Pony strip club the week of the draw.
Due to the incredible sum and how quickly rumors spread in the small town of Ptunam, the manager of the place contacted the Washington Post to defend himself against any excuse. This person maintained that: “My worst nightmare was waking up in the morning and reading in the newspaper that Jack Whittaker had been robbed at the Pink Pony.” In addition, he indicated that he asked the billionaire to save his money.
This was just the beginning of Whittaker’s bad attitudes because, just a few days later, he returned to Pink Pony and showed off the $45,000 he had hidden in his car. There he became a victim for the first time, when two employees of the establishment opened him while drugged, broke his vehicle and stole his money. This amount was found near the club but the culprits never went to jail.
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The Mirror
The American billionaire had chosen to be paid his entire prize in a single installment. This money gave him uncontrolled power and Whittaker became a celebrity in his city for his high spending, gambling, fights and inappropriate sexual advances. His lifestyle attracted tragedies around him, with the overdose death of a friend of his granddaughter Brandi. But the event that shook the businessman’s emotional stability was the discovery of his own granddaughter’s body wrapped in plasticbehind an abandoned van.
This dark and tragic event was followed by a chain of legal problems. These were made up of battles over bad checks, the burning of Whittaker’s house and allegations of sexual assault at a casino in the region.
Source: Ambito
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