In a shocking turn of events, a California woman claims her uncle stole a $2 million lottery jackpot she won, citing fears of deportation as the reason for handing over the winning ticket.
Ruby Reyes purchased a $20 scratch-off ticket at a liquor store in Santa Rosa and realized she had hit the jackpot after scratching off the required words. Rather than claiming the prize herself, she turned the ticket over to an uncle she believed had legal residency, expecting him to cash it and return the money.
However, records show the uncle received a check for $1,520,004.08 after state taxes were withheld. Reyes claims he kept the entire prize and has cut contact with her, now seeking to recover the funds through legal action.
Reyes has stated that she handed the ticket over to her uncle because she feared claiming the prize herself could lead to deportation. She has since messaged her uncle in hopes he will reconsider and return the funds.
Reyes' situation raises questions about the experiences of undocumented immigrants in the United States. While they are not prohibited from collecting lottery winnings, they are still required to pay federal and state taxes on the prize.
A similar situation played out in 2011, when a man in Georgia won $750,000 from a scratch-off ticket, but failed to receive the winnings after asking his boss to cash it on his behalf. The man was eventually granted the jackpot prize by a Georgia judge.
