A former offender suddenly finds himself living a life of luxury.
But just five years later, the lottery winner's millions are gone.
And his fall went even deeper.
Kassel – Winning the lottery once – certainly a dream for many.
Finally no more money worries and long-awaited wishes come true.
For many, however, this wish remains a dream, for others the money worries only begin with the win.
This is also the case with David Lee Edwards from Kentucky (USA).
According to the British newspaper Daily Mirror,
he won
one of the biggest prizes in the US lottery, the Powerball.
But a short time later, nothing was left of that and he was in a much worse situation than before winning: Ultimately, he is said to have lived in a shack littered with faeces.
For a British lottery millionaire, winning millions is said to have turned out to be more of a curse than a blessing.
The life of the man from Kentucky must have felt like a blessing and a curse.
Edwards was a convicted felon when he won the $27 million Powerball jackpot in 2001.
According to the Daily Mirror,
he originally did
not want to accept the prize.
A woman from the USA also initially did not want to know anything about her prize because she thought the notification email was a scam.
Lottery winner lives in the lap of luxury - from humility to villas, luxury cars and private jets
Knowing that many people are unemployed, Edwards said with humility, "I want this money to be enough for me, for my wife-to-be, for my daughter and for future generations." Plans quickly forgotten.
+
From rags to riches, they say in the USA, when you suddenly become filthy rich instead of dirt poor.
Except that a lottery winner from Alabama did the transformation back too;
and within a short time.
(symbol image/assembly)
© Imago/Montage
The DailyStar
reports
on numerous luxurious purchases: he invested 1.6 million dollars in a villa in Palm Beach (Florida).
A short time later, he bought a second house for a whopping $600,000.
New vehicles should not be missing either.
His new fleet, consisting of a Dodge Viper and Lamborghini Diablo, cost one million dollars.
But that's not all: He then buys a private jet for 1.9 million dollars.
He also invested $4.5 million in a fiber optic installation business and a limousine business.
According to
the Daily Mirror,
he spent around three million in three months and another 12 million in the first year.
The win also led to arguments within the family: In order to get custody of his daughter Tiffany, he paid half a million dollars to his ex-wife and her new husband.
Family disputes are not uncommon when the winnings are large: Another lottery winner in the USA was robbed by a family member.
Man wins the 27 million lottery: in the end he is in debt and lonely
Eventually, his drug addiction caused the remaining money to quickly disappear as well.
After just five years, the $27 million was gone.
He and his wife were suddenly penniless and even in debt.
Both are said to have lived in a shed littered with excrement.
Eventually his wife separated and remarried.
Editor's note
Gambling can be addictive. Those affected can find help from the Federal Center for Health Education, among others.
David Lee Edwards became conspicuous in his last years with illegal drug possession of crack and cocaine.
His health was also getting worse and worse.
He contracted hepatitis from injecting drugs.
Eventually his ex-wife took him in until they placed him in a hospice.
In this he spent his last days before he died at the age of 58.
(mima)
List of rubrics: © Imago/Montage
