A Staten Island man who bought a winning $3 million lottery ticket at P&C Food Markets in Hartwick Seminary, New York last month pocketed a check for $468,153 on Monday.
Ron DelRosario, 61, a retired New York City sanitation supervisor, said he is sharing his winnings with his former wife, Lorraine Paolucci, of New Smyrna Beach, Fla.
"We have an agreement that she plays the Florida lottery, I play New York and we share whatever we win," he said.
DelRosario said he purchased the ticket July 21, gave it to his ex-wife, and two days later, she called to tell him they had won $3 million in the lotto game.
"We get along very well," he said. "I never knew anything until she called."
To actually receive $3 million, DelRosario and Paolucci would have had to wait 25 years, receiving payments each year. Instead, they opted to take a lump sum payment, and were awarded $1,489,746.
According to a lottery spokeswoman, on his half of the winnings DelRosario had to pay $186,218 in federal tax, $57,355 in state tax and $33,147 in New York City tax, leaving him with $468,153.
Paolucci fared better on taxes and received a check for $501,300, the spokeswoman said.
DelRosarios check was awarded during a ceremony held late Monday morning at the Hartwick supermarket. Nancy Palumbo, state Lottery director, said DelRosario was the first person in Otsego County to win a lottery valued at $1 million or more.
While shoppers wheeled their carts past the crowd at the front of the store, Palumbo offered pieces of cake to passers-by and DelRosario was photographed and interviewed by reporters.
He said he visits Cooperstown often, staying with his sister, Doreen DelRosario, an oncology nurse at Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital.
"I havent told my sister about this. I wanted to surprise her, he said. "Shell probably read it in the paper."
DelRosario is the 48th lottery "millionaire" from Staten Island and the 1,726th in the state, said Carolyn Hapeman, the Lotterys director of communications.
Annette Shaffer, an employee at P&C, said she sells lottery tickets but was unsure whether she had sold the winning ticket.
DelRosario said he loves the land in upstate New York and may dventually buy a summer house here.
"I try to get up here as often as I can," he said. "I may get a new car and Im sure Ill be sharing this with my (seven) grandchildren.
The winner said he went to the store on July 21 to pick up a loaf of bread and decided to buy 10 lottery tickets for $5. On one ticket, he picked six numbers correctly, the only person in the state to do so for that drawing.
Someone in the crowd Monday quipped that he went shopping for bread and left with dough.
The winner chuckled and said, "I hit once before, a Quick Four and won $10,000. And Im going to keep on playing. Who knows? Maybe lightning will strike twice!"
Sounds to me like they should never have gotten divorced....nice story, nice couple.