If winning the second-largest Powerball jackpot in New York Lottery history is not a good enough excuse to succumb to the middle-age crisis cliché by getting yourself a flashy sports car, we don’t know what is.
A 56-year-old truck driver from Brooklyn won $298.3 million in December. On Friday, he collected his winnings at the Resorts World Casino in Queens, and told the media about his immediate plans: he will treat himself to a Porsche, in red, and will buy himself a new house.
David Johnson didn’t find out about his incredible good luck until 2 days after the drawing, and that’s because he didn’t believe he would be this lucky. He picked up a single ticket from a gas station on his way to work, so when the winning ticket was announced to have been purchased there, his mates started calling him. He told them the winner wasn’t him and let it rest.
However, when he saw that they kept pressing him, he thought it wouldn’t hurt to check. So he took his ticket to the gas station and couldn’t believe his eyes when he scanned it and it read “BIG WINNER.” And “BIG” it was: the jackpot was of almost $300 million.
From that amount, Johnson agreed to receive just one lump payment of $180,227,550, which left him with $114,091,248 in his pocket, after taxes. He told the media at the event that he’s already spoken to an attorney for tips on how to invest this kind of money, but first, he plans on doing a little something for himself.
He’s always wanted a red Porsche and now’s the time to get it. It will have to be red “so everyone can see me when I drive on the street,” Johnson told ABC News.
Now that he’s loaded, he can start enjoying early retirement. Driving a truck for a living was fun, but it was also very hard work, he admitted. Now that he doesn’t have to do it, he can enjoy himself more.
David Johnson didn’t find out about his incredible good luck until 2 days after the drawing, and that’s because he didn’t believe he would be this lucky. He picked up a single ticket from a gas station on his way to work, so when the winning ticket was announced to have been purchased there, his mates started calling him. He told them the winner wasn’t him and let it rest.
However, when he saw that they kept pressing him, he thought it wouldn’t hurt to check. So he took his ticket to the gas station and couldn’t believe his eyes when he scanned it and it read “BIG WINNER.” And “BIG” it was: the jackpot was of almost $300 million.
From that amount, Johnson agreed to receive just one lump payment of $180,227,550, which left him with $114,091,248 in his pocket, after taxes. He told the media at the event that he’s already spoken to an attorney for tips on how to invest this kind of money, but first, he plans on doing a little something for himself.
He’s always wanted a red Porsche and now’s the time to get it. It will have to be red “so everyone can see me when I drive on the street,” Johnson told ABC News.
Now that he’s loaded, he can start enjoying early retirement. Driving a truck for a living was fun, but it was also very hard work, he admitted. Now that he doesn’t have to do it, he can enjoy himself more.