Jack Whittaker (lottery winner)
Andrew Jackson “Jack” Whittaker, Jr. (born c. 1947 in Jumping Branch, Summers County, West Virginia) is a West Virginia businessman who became famous when he won US$314.9 million in the Powerball multi-state lottery. At the time it was the largest jackpot ever won by a single winning ticket in the history of American lottery. He has garnered even more publicity since his win due to several well-publicized brushes with the law as well as personal tragedies.
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[edit] Powerball win
Whittaker was the 55-year-old president of Diversified Enterprises Construction, a successful contracting firm in Putnam County, West Virginia, when he chose the correct numbers for the December 25, 2002 drawing. Whittaker had a net worth of over US$17 million before his Powerball windfall. Whittaker purchased the winning Powerball ticket at a supermarket in Hurricane, West Virginia, where he had stopped for a deli breakfast sandwich and to get fuel for his Lincoln Navigator.
The jackpot that day was a US$314.9 million annuity or US$170 million cash. Whittaker chose the cash option and received a check for approximately US$114 million[1][2] after tax withholdings.
[edit] Philanthropy
Whittaker pledged 10% of his winnings to Christian charities—including several churches affiliated with the Church of God [disambiguation needed 
]—in southern West Virginia. One of the beneficiary congregations constructed a multi-million dollar church in Hurricane. He also donated $14 million to establish the Jack Whittaker Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides food and clothing to low-income families in rural West Virginia. Furthermore, he tipped the woman who worked the biscuit counter at the convenience store where he bought the winning ticket by buying her a $123,000 house, a new Dodge Ram Truck and giving her $50,000 cash.
[edit] Legal / personal problems
On August 5, 2003, thieves broke into his car while it was parked at the Pink Pony, a strip club in Cross Lanes, West Virginia. The thieves went away with $545,000 in cash.[3] Two employees at the club, namely, the general manager and dancer manager, who were romantically linked, were later arrested and charged with a plot to put drugs in Whittaker's drinks and then rob him.[4] On January 25, 2004, thieves once again broke into his car, this time making off with an estimated $200,000 in cash that was later recovered.
On September 17 2004, Jesse Tribble, an 18-year-old on-and-off-again boyfriend of Jack's granddaughter Brandi Bragg, was found dead in Whittaker's home in Teays Valley, West Virginia. A coroner's report indicated that he died from overdosing on a combination of oxycodone, methadone, meperidine and cocaine.
On December 20 2004, Brandi, 17, was found dead on the property of one of her male friends after being reported missing on December 9. Her body was wrapped inside a plastic tarp and dumped behind a junked van. No-one was charged with a crime and the death was ruled an overdose.[4]
At an October 11, 2005 hearing related to his January 2003 DUI, a visibly shaken Whittaker lashed out at local law enforcement agencies for focusing on his troubles while failing to arrest anyone in relation to his granddaughter's death,[5]
| “ | Go after whoever killed my granddaughter with as much zealous [sic] as these butt holes are trying to convict me of something I didn’t do. | ” |
Whittaker is also being sued by Caesars Atlantic City casino for bouncing $1.5 million worth of checks to cover gambling losses. Whittaker is also countersuing them, claiming that his losses were supposed to be credited due to a slot machine he developed and that they in fact owe him money.[6]
On January 11, 2007, a legal complaint against Whittaker alleged he claimed that on September 11, 2006, thieves took all of his money.[7] The thieves, according to the account, went to 12 branches of the City National Bank and cashed 12 checks. The incident came to light because Whittaker had not been paying money to a woman who had previously sued him. Kitti French filed the complaint earlier in the week, requesting court costs and money from Whittaker.
On July 5, 2009, Ginger Whittaker Bragg, Jack's daughter and the mother of Brandi Bragg, was found dead in Daniels, Raleigh County, West Virginia. Foul play is not suspected, but toxicology tests are expected.[8]
[edit] References
- ^ "One wild ride for jackpot winner", USA Today, Feb. 12, 2004.
- ^ "Estranged Wife of Jack Whittaker Contends Part Ownership in Over 25 Companies; Companies Contend Jewell Whittaker’s Filing Has Cut Off Their Credit", Hintonnews.net, Sep. 4, 2006.
- ^ "Lottery Winner: Thieves "Got All My Money'", CBS News, Jan. 12, 2007 (accessed Apr. 8, 2007)
- ^ a b "Rich Man, Poor Man", Washington Post, Jan. 30, 2005.
- ^ West Virginia Metro News, Oct. 11, 2005.
- ^ "Largest Single Powerball Winner in US History"[dead link]
- ^ "Powerball Winner Jack Whittaker Claims He's Broke", WSAZ News Channel 3, Jan. 11, 2007 (accessed Apr. 8, 2007)
- ^ "UPDATE: Jack Whittaker's Daughter Found Dead". The State Journal. July 6, 2009. http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=62261. Retrieved 2010-05-13.
[edit] External links
- CNN "Talkback Live" Transcript: "$300 Million Powerball Winner Revealed; Should Torture be an Option for U.S. Government?" (show aired December 26, 2002)
- "No fairy tale life for lottery winner", Rick Hampson, USA Today, Dec. 12, 2004.
- "More Sad but True Lottery Winners Stories", The Lotto Report; originally posted Dec. 10, 2004, revised Feb. 27, 2005.
- "Jack Whittaker: un-luckiest lottery winner ever", Lottery Post, Jan. 12, 2007.
- "Powerball Win: Fantasy or Nightmare?". Chicago Tribune; September 14, 2007.
- "Powerball Winner Wins Again". West Virginia MetroNews. March 24, 2008. http://www.wvmetronews.com/index.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=24128. Retrieved 2010-05-13.
