Eight employees of the Monongalia County, W.Va., sheriff's department tax office are sharing the proceeds of a Powerball lottery ticket worth $273.6 million.
The employees pitched in $5 each to buy a group of lottery tickets, but three other employees decided not to participate. The winning employees still plan to go back to work at the office, for now at least. However, the husband of one of the winners has already resigned his job as a sheriff's deputy.
The eight winners have opted for the lump sum payout option, which will yield them a total of $139 million, or $11.9 million each after taxes, according to the Associated Press.
Linda Fominko, chief deputy in the tax office, bought the winning ticket. A 35-year veteran there, she had a feeling the tickets were lucky after buying them in a local video poker parlor, Paula's Great Food and Fun. She locked them away in a safe at the tax office before watching the Powerball drawing. After confirming that she had the winning numbers, she notified her co-workers of their good fortune.
