Lincoln, Neb. – Five workers at a Nebraska meatpacking plant – and, not coincidentally, three newly former employees there – are really bringing home the bacon now: They stepped forward Wednesday to claim the biggest lottery jackpot in U.S. history – $365 million.
The seven men and one woman bought the winning Powerball ticket at a convenience store near the ConAgra ham-processing plant where they worked. At least three of the winners are immigrants – two from Vietnam and one from the Republic of Congo.
“This is great country!” said Quang Dao, 56, who came to the United States in 1988. He still has family in Vietnam and said he plans to help them financially with his winnings.
The previous U.S. jackpot record was $363 million, won by two ticketholders in Illinois and Michigan in 2000.
The Nebraska residents had the option of taking the money in one lump sum or 30 annual installments. They chose the lump sum and will get $15.5 million each after taxes.
Three of the group quit their jobs when they hit the jackpot. “I’ve been retired for about four days now,” said Eric Zornes, 40.
Alain Maboussou, 26, said he fled Congo in 1999 to escape unrest after the civil war there. He said he plans to quit work and return to school for a degree in business administration. The money will provide for his wife and baby daughter.
“She’s going to be happy for the rest of her life,” he said of the 3-month-old girl.
Mike Terpstra, a 47-year-old plant supervisor who is single and has no children, was unsure what to do with the money. “Everybody has dreams,” he said. “Buy an island. Buy an airplane. In reality, I’m not a fan of flying and don’t really like water.”
The winners said they often pooled their money with other workers when Powerball jackpots exceeded $40 million. Maboussou said he did not think employees who did not chip in for the tickets would harbor any ill will toward the winners.
“I don’t think they have a reason to be jealous because when it’s a pool day, we ask people to put, like, in five bucks, so if you wasn’t there or you didn’t put five bucks in, sorry,” he said.
The other winners: David Gehle, 53; Chasity Rutjens, 29; Dung Tran, 34; and Robert Stewart, 30.
