Iowa Quaker Oats Workers Get $241 Million Powerball Jackpot
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William Thomas Cain/Getty Images(DES MOINES, Iowa) — Twenty happy workers stepped off a chartered bus in Des Moines Wednesday to claim their $241 million Powerball jackpot.
The new millionaires, who call themselves the “Shipping 20 Trust,” work together in the shipping department of Quaker Oats in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The winners are between the ages of 35 and 64. They asked that their names be kept confidential.
“They’re in shock. Still trying to recover,” said Joe Day, the group’s attorney.
Day told ABC News’ Cedar Rapids affiliate KCRG-TV the “ecstatic” winners still hadn’t decided what to do with their fortunes, but were thrilled to have “financial security for a lifetime.”
The Powerball ticket, worth a whopping $241 million, was purchased at a Cedar Rapids grocery store. It was the 15th-largest jackpot in Powerball history.
The winning numbers in last Wednesday’s drawing were 7, 10, 14, 33, 57 and Powerball 18.
After the drawing, Iowa lottery officials urged the winners to keep the ticket in a safe place and to consult a financial adviser before coming forward to claim the jackpot.
“This truly is a life-changing amount of money and we want our winners to have the information they’ll need as they make their decisions,” Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich said in a statement. “Whoever has the winning ticket should sign it immediately if they haven’t already done so for safe keeping.”
The winning ticket was the seventh in Iowa to win the Powerball prize — and the largest ever in the state’s history. The previous record prize was a $200 million jackpot won by a Fort Dodge couple in October 2006.
The group’s request to keep their names private is in contradiction of Iowa law, which says winners’ names should be disclosed. Officials have given the newly-minted millionaires 10 business days to seek an injunction, which is allowed under the state’s open records law.
The winners can choose to receive the money in 30 payments over the next 30 years totaling $241 million before taxes, or accept an immediate lump sum of $160 million before taxes. That would mean an after-tax total of $112 million.
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