BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — A Connecticut man is suing a friend for a share of a $1 million lottery jackpot.
Armando Martins of Trumbull claims that he and Nuno Nascimento of Bridgeport had an agreement to buy lottery tickets every week and to share if they won.
Martins says he gave his friend $75 each week to buy tickets. On April 1, Martins said he only has $74 for his share.
The lawsuit says that evening one of the tickets that Nascimento bought at a local grocery store was a $1 million Powerball winner, but Nascimento didn't tell Martins about the prize.
Martins says Nascimento and his wife collected a check for $700,000 after taxes. Martins says his friend offered to give him $375.
Thanks to LckyLary for the tip.
There is a lesson to be learnt here. If you are going to pool with friends, family or foe always have everything in writing and signed by all parties. This way it keep a bit of honesty if you ever win a large sum. I dont care for dishonest people, I beleive that if you make an agreement with someone you should follow through with it. your word should be your bond. (my opinion)
Please note: lots of $$$$ causes amnesia in many.
I hope Martins sue him and leave him with only $375 this way it will be a lesson for Nascimento to not be so greedy.
Friendship always seems to suffer when lottery winnings enter the picture.The simple solution is to play by yourself and let your friends play by themselves.
He must have been a dear fried for him to give him $75 every week for lottery tickets, that could amount to almost $4,000 a year. For that kind of money, he should have had a written agreement even if he was buying his won tickets and agreeing to share the winnings with his friend.
By the name of your handle ( Empress-N ), you would'nt happen to work at the empress diner there in Lauderdale would yah ?
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On the other hand , I could'nt agree more of having things spelled out in an agreement. This would avoid a lot of wasted time in the courts as well as friendships...
Armando Martins's friend Nuno Nascimento was nothing like Barry Funk,the friend of Michael Hawryshko.
https://www.lotterypost.com/news/81323/174926
What a jerk! This is why I don't do pools. Better to play by yourself.
If this is true, I hope Armando Martins gets the winnings that belong to him. If the guy put in $75 a week for tickets, he deserves his fair share of the jackpot. This is one of the reasons I prefer to play alone. I don't want to have to deal with liars and thieves.
true that. never trust anyone. money do change people.
This is a classic example of how greed and selfishness destroy friendship.
Those agreements are just stupid. How do you get into an agreement like these and not have a written contract? One that addresses issues like who are the members, how the contributions will take place, HOw the winnings will be divided, how to deal with days when some member chooses not to play or days that some member gives less than the agreed sum of money.
these questions seem petty but are very real. I have refused to join many lotto groups because of these very small issues. You know a lawyer will always try to drive in the bus in the smallest loophole.
Unless the dude has a written agreement or some evidence that there was a verbal agreement. I don't see how he wins the lawsuit. Hopefully he has the greedy lottery winner on tape or hopefully a credible 3rd-party witness comes forward. Otherwise it is just a he-said she said story.
This is why I don't participate in pools. Too much risk to be short-changed.
Hum, perhaps the man is supposed to be satisfied receiving $74 of the $75 he provided from the final week's lottery pool
The lesson here is what several of the above said: get written agreements and copies of each of the drawing's tickets purchased (to show a paper trail of combined pooled money if in court). I also am sorry for spouses to these types of thieves who are put in the middle. Though, truly $75 a week submittal into a lottery pool is a HUGE investment spanning often months or years, why won't some folks draft an agreement (if you have $75 disposable income a week to spend on chance lottery tickets, one would think that person could read and write and realize that relying on one's word/trust isn't comprehensive enough)!
"best to play alone then in baaaad company"
Not shocking this incident is from Bridgeport ...
ONLY GET INVOLVED IN LOTTERY POOLS WHERE SOMEONE MAKES PHOTO COPIES OF TICKETS
END OF STORY..THIS WAY EVERYONE HAS EVIDENCE OF BEING THE WINNER
The story says Martin's friend agreed to buy him $75 worth of tickets but says nothing about any pools or agreements to share any winnings or if Martin was given the 75 tickets before the drawing. Maybe Martin's had previously shared smaller winnings with his friend for buying him tickets and thought his friend would share his winnings with him. The odd part of the story is that Martin mentions only having $74 for the one drawing when the jackpot was hit and maybe he believes the winning ticket was the 75th ticket. State laws are clear on who owns the ticket so Martin will have to prove in court there was an actual agreement to split the winnings.
For that kind of money, Martin should have bought his own tickets.
It doesn't seen like he was really a "FRIEND"
Also, if he is right, he should get proportion to his share of tickets, which is 74/75 times half of total.
This is the prime reason not to enter a pool with anyone! Heck, even contracts can be broken these days (with the right lawyer that is)!
So, what good would a contract do for you when you're in a pool?
To me there is no justification or a valid argument to be in a pool of any kind with anyone at anytime (because of the simple fact that there is no contract in the world that can't be broken)!
Screw your friend The Spirit of America HA HA !
He's not his friend anymore, that's for sure.
This wasn't a pool, players join pools to to reduce the amount they spend on lottery tickets to $5-$10 a week. Usually if a player has $75 a week to spend on lottery tickets he buys his own.
I would think it would be hard to convince a judge or a jury that he actually did that weekly and never expected any feed back from his friend or checked the tickets he bought.
Hi Maddog10, No I dont work at the Empress diner, I didnt even know there was a business with my name on it. I'm gonna look it up. I hope they serve food as sweet as me LOL.
When someone gives me money to buy a ticket, I put their name on the ticket as soon as its printed. I also write my name on mine. I try to give the person the ticket to them before the drawing (with their name on it) so there are no complications. And I hang it on their fridge door.
I mean, this happens maybe three times a year and it's only for my parents or brother BUT that could be the time when one of us actually wins. Hence, why I do the extra precautions.
Not that it matters...I usually have to check their tickets for them anyway.
When Mega went over $200 million and I was almost out of tickets, I wanted to do a road trip to get more tickets. My hubby wanted me to just call his Father and have him buy them for us and mail them to us since he lived in that state. I said no, which kind of upset my hubby. I could forsee a HUGE amount of problems if we went that route. However, it didn't matter as someone won on my last ticket, so I didn't need to go get more.
I guess I could have explained more to my husband, about what I've read here and why it's not a good idea, but he didn't seem in the mood to listen.
I can remember seeing the CT Attorney General saying on a tv program (WTIC/61's Behind The Headlines?) last year that there are no lottery contracts (recognized) in Connecticut. I mentioned this to one of my cohorts in the office pool and he doesn't seem too worried about it.
P.S. "I" happened to buy and hold the tickets to tonight's Powerball drawing!
Don't they ever learn. Every once in a blue moon"Ill read about an office pool" where a big jackpot is won and someone outside the pool will say "I WAS IN IT TOO!". This guy Armando could be doing it too. If he is telling the truth "That's too bad". He deserves to lose. Lesson here "GET IT IN WRITING".
Shame that it has to be decided by via the court. But lesson learned. This was never a friend. Money in friendships and family never mix, never. Look what happens when someone dies in the family, everyone swoops down on the belongings, property and money. More fights are over money than any other thing in life.
I have my way of playing, alone. But once I do hit the big one I plan on sending a few people some money so they don't have to work unless they want to, have the money to pay off their house and go on a wonderful vacation. Yes, I plan on winning that much.
But they will have to guess at who sent the money because I will be long gone on my own lifetime vacation. LOL!
I was in a pool at work but everyone got a copy of the tickets to take home so you knew if you won. This could have been prevented if one would buy the tickets every other week, taking turns.
I always enjoy reading your take on things. "I have my way of playing, alone." I think it could not be said any better.
You know these kind of stories are always scary to me. I mean, ANYONE could say "we had an agreement to split the winnings and I gave so and so xxx amount of dollars".....co-workers, so called friends, family, etc. I mean how does the Lottery Commission handle these types of claims if there is nothing in writing? I always play my own lottery and have never been a part of any pool or anything like that but let's say I happened to win a large amount of money.....who's to say someone couldn't come forward and say "we were suppose to split the winnings?" How would the Lottery Commission handle this type of claim?
If you collect your winnings before you tell everyone you've won then it's out of the hands of the lottery commission, your friends and buddies will have to sue you and settle it in court.
Money is the root of all evil. Play by yourself. If you win then only your nagging family you have to deal with.
I was thinking the same thing. ANYONE can say they had a verbal agreement once they find out a friend, relative, or coworker hit the big one.
Perhaps that is another reason why to clain the lotto anonymously or if the state doesn't allow that. Do what the latest DC jackpot winner did and claim via a blind trust.
I saved a copy of an article I had read a few years ago on what to do should you win a large amount of money playing the lottery. I think it sounds like pretty good advice, here's what it says.....
Lottery Winners
Strangely enough, winning millions in the lottery can be the worst thing that ever happened to you. The money can strain relationships with your spouse and relatives. It can turn your friends and neighbors into leeches. It can ruin your privacy. It can cause security problems, threaten your physical safety. Paradoxically, it can lead you down the road to bankruptcy.
And, of course, it can also turn you into a raging jerk.
Tips for the Latest Instant Millionaire
It's great to be rich, but fame comes with a price. So your primary mission is to claim the money without divulging your identity or having a mental breakdown. Here's how to do it:
1. Don't tell anyone. The single most important rule for maintaining sanity after winning the lotter is: Do everything you can to keep your precious anonymity intact. Of course that means keeping your mouth shut. Don't share the news with your friends, neighbors, co-workers, or family. Resist even the urge to tell your spouse or significant other, at least for the time being. Otherwise you will have forever blown your one chance at being anonymous. You can always spill the beans later, after all the excitement has died down.
2. Don't sign the ticket. After you write your name on that ticket, you might as well call up and announce the news to your local TV stations and newspapers. Remember that the state lottery commission will publicize the identity of every claimant. Toss the ticket into a clean Ziploc bag (to avoid spills, etc.) and temporarily stash it someplace away from excessive heat, sunlight, pets, children, roommates, co-workers, etc. Make sure it's someplace safe that you won't forget.
3. Act casual. Maintain your normal routine. Continue to attend work, school, church, social functions, etc. Whatever's typical for you. When people ask you what's up, refer to rule number one.
4. Make a few photocopies. At your earliest opportunity, take a trip to a 24-hour Kinko's around 2am when nobody's around and make six copies of the ticket, both front and back. Use one of the self-serve machines and take any and all bad copies with you (i.e. leave none in the trash). And before you leave, doublecheck to make sure you didn't leave the original in the machine.
5. Rent a safe-deposit box. Contact your bank and see if they have any vacant safe deposit boxes, tell them you're going on a trip and need to store some documents for a few months. Make a point of asking them how much it costs, even though you could care less. You're trying to keep up appearances. When you go down to the bank in person to open your box, you will probably need some ID and your bank card. Bring the ticket, along with some other "fake" papers. Don't show them the ticket, obviously. Loose lips sink ships. Stash the ticket in the box and put the box key on your keyring. Don't lose the key.
6. Open a blind trust. Hire a tax attorney. Once you're a client, the lawyer is legally bound to maintain your confidentiality. Tell them you want to open a blind trust in order to claim the lottery prize as an anonymous trustee. Provide three photocopies of your ticket. All contact with the lottery commission will be made through your lawyer.
7. Contact a financial planner. Rich people don't tend to stay that way without a little planning. If you have the choice between annual payments and a single large payout, you should consider the big jackpot. It's less money total, but it's probably about the same as the annuity if you take the lump sum and invest it in interest-bearing savings bonds. However, the single large payout may incur a higher tax rate. Ask your tax experts.
8. Tie up any financial loose ends. No reason to procrastinate now. Pay all those traffic fines and parking tickets. Catch up on alimony or child support payments. Settle any debts. Instruct your financial planner to scrub those black marks off your credit score, but don't cancel your credit cards -- that'll screw up your rating. And don't think it won't matter anymore. It matters.
9. Draft or update your last will and testament. If there were ever a time for estate planning, it's now.
10. Move away. And not just out of town. We're talking out of state, possibly out of the country. You can't expect to keep a lid on your secret forever; information wants to be free. Maybe buy a modest house with a good alarm system in a gated community with a private security force. That ought to minimize the solicitors at your door. Also be sure to get an unlisted phone number.
Now you can finally enjoy all that wealth in peace. Go ahead and spluge. Get yourself a P.O. Box. Anyway, that's what all the hip millionaires do. Seriously.
***I thought this all sounded like very good advice!
I almost won the megamillions on friday.I won 3 numbers and 3 out of 5 + the megaball,not bad for a $2 bet,next time i will win the jackpot i can feel it, i use statistic when i play lotto. It'a good think i didn't have to share with someone :)
I can't say I agree with not signing the ticket. What if someone else finds it?? there's no way in H E double hockey sticks I would put it even in a safe deposit box without my John Han<snip> on it.
Martins says Nascimento and his wife collected a check for $700,000 after taxes. Martins says his friend offered to give him $375.
At least his friend offered to refund 5 weeks of payments. Their trial is today, I wonder it that will be considered in the resolution of their case.
Good point. It might be a good idea to SIGN all lottery tickets at the time of purchase whether you have won or not. You don't wanna risk losing the ticket.
When it comes to claiming a ticket.....all the lottery officials care about is that of the signiture on the back of the ticket. They will verify that the ticket is legit and that's about it. But in the long-run I don't think no one cares who actually purchases the ticket. If that was the case.....the lottery player's contact info would be obtained beforehand at the time of purchase(phone number, address, name, etc..). rather than at the time of claim.
If someone finds a ticket on the ground at some random place....as long as it isn't sign.....it's finders keepers really.
Contract people, contracts! :D
It funny what people promise they going to do if they win, but when they do win its actually become another story. For real. I think people dream of so many big stuff as they playing the lottery, but I ask myself" Will they do it if its become a reality" I, myself kept dreaming that if I win the lottery I will buy sport car like Lamboghini, ferrari and mclaren. I think once you have the money, you will be cheap with it because one will not let it finish. It would be a nice thing to win the lottery though, but with the odds of winning the jackpot of the megamillion which is 1 out of 175,000,0000 is 99.99% impossible. Statisticly speaking someone will win the jackpot because the probability is atleast 1. I play the lottery for fun and if i happen to win the jackpot I'll be bless, but for those people out there spending all their money is out of their mind. I will not spend more than two dollar on lottery ticket unless it went up to 100 to 200 mill i'll spend 3 bucks. But those folks spending a hundred need to see a gamble counselor.
Why is it that most everyone who has a negative view about money get this saying TOTALLY WRONG?!!!
Money IS NOT the root of all evil...otherwise we wouldn't have something like that that is so central and essential for exchange of goods and services.
For those who don't know, the Holy Bible says in 1 Timothy 6:10 "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
It is the LOVE of MONEY that is the problem, not the money itself! The love of the money will cause people to cheat, steal, kill, prostitute, and deal just to get it.
Now that is set straight, I do agree about playing lottery by oneself and AVOIDING any semblance of a pool at all costs. I even go so far as to say to those who might think I would share with them that I THINK about them wherever I am enjoying MY millions! The only person I would share my winnings with is just my closest brother...not even my mom or wife would know about my win (Mom's can't keep a secret and wifey doesn't believe in playing the lottery....but she would gladly spend any winnings from lottery...I don't get that reasoning!).
"10. Move away. And not just out of town. We're talking out of state, possibly out of the country. You can't expect to keep a lid on your secret forever; information wants to be free. Maybe buy a modest house with a good alarm system in a gated community with a private security force. That ought to minimize the solicitors at your door. Also be sure to get an unlisted phone number."
This advice isn't as extreme as it may seem. In a lot of cases, this would be good advice.
Something I would certainly look into and have thought of, though I don't know if I would want to deal with a Home Owners Association or restrictions that a gated community would likely have. It all depends on the jackpot amount though as to which way I would go. The most important thing though is to just not make a spectacle of yourself and excessively show off your riches. Yeah, I say riches because there's a difference between being rich and being wealthy. Personally I'd use the money to become wealthy instead of just rich.
Where is the line between rich and wealthy?
Correct me if i'm wrong but wasn't moving into a high end gated comunity combined with various other issues of instant wealth ... how one florida couple went nearly broke ??
don't recall the name but I do believe I saw it on of them :" curse of the lottery" programs
I know for myself the thought of living ingated community not to mention related dues and such bylaws seem like tooo much trouble
That was David Edwards.He could be the poster child of what not to do with your lottery winnings.