This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
A man claims that he's the lucky individual who purchased the winning SuperLotto Plus ticket worth $63 million in Chatsworth. However, he's also claiming they're not giving it to him.
We already know that a ticket worth $63 million in the August 8 drawing was sold at a 7-Eleven in Chatsworth. The owner of that ticket has until today at 5 p.m. to come forward and claim his or her winnings, but so far, no one's done so. If the money is still unclaimed at the end of the day, it will all go to California public schools.
Brandy Milliner claims that he's the winner, but that the California Lottery won't give him the money because his ticket is damaged beyond the point of reconstruction, the L.A. Times reports. He filed a claim yesterday in L.A. County Superior Court, hoping a judge will give him his supposed winnings.
He claims that he submitted the ticket and received a letter back, congratulating him on his good fortune. However, he says he received a second letter in January telling him that his ticket was "too damaged to be reconstructed."
A clerk at the 7-Eleven told KTLA that Milliner came back to the 7-Eleven with the ticket, and that it looked as though it'd been washed or burned, and that you couldn't even see the supposed winning numbers.
Man says he had $63M ticket as search continues for Chatsworth lotto winner, @ChristinaKTLA https://t.co/IXBRvnqofT pic.twitter.com/EetoTp5HFD
— KTLA (@KTLA) February 4, 2016
Lottery officials are insisting that there is still no winner. Lottery spokesman Russ Lopez called the "last-minute timing" of Milliner's claim "suspicious," but stresses he's not saying that the claim is fake. He stated that the lottery will send letters congratulating all potential winners when they make the claim, but that all claims are then investigated.
Spokesman Alex Traverse told CBS Los Angeles that there's no record of Milliner attempting to file a claim.
"If we denied them, there would be a letter sent by our professional law enforcement investigators who investigate every claim. So there's no record of that, either," he said.
Another man, Art Rellano, said that he purchased several lottery tickets from that particular 7-Eleven, but lost them, and fears he might have been the winner.
"That's why I'm kicking myself in the butt," he told ABC 7.
We suggest anyone who may have bought a ticket from the 7-Eleven on Lassen Street in Chatsworth double check your tickets for numbers 46-1-33-30-16 and Mega number 24.
Meanwhile, the person who bought one of the three winning Powerball ticket form a Chino Hills 7-Eleven last month also remains a mystery—and that ticket is worth over $500 million.
