Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Georgia Woman One of Three Lottery Winners

Aired April 17, 2002 - 11:20   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go right now to our Brian Cabell, who is here in Atlanta. He is at the Georgia Lottery Headquarters, and as I hear it, Brian, you had a chance to check in on winner here?

BRIAN CABELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, if you have ever wondered what it like, Leon, to be 20 years old and a brand-new multimillionaire, we got a vision of it just about 20 minutes ago as a matter of fact.

A young lady by the name of Erica Green, 20 years old, works for a cell phone accessory shop in Dacula, Georgia. She walked through here. She says she's the winner. It has not confirmed by lottery officials. She came through a little while ago, answered a number of questions, seemed remarkably self-possessed, but of course, very excited as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REBECCA PAUL, PRESIDENT, GEORGIA LOTTERY CORPORATION: Until a winner actually brings us a ticket, any one of a number of people could call anybody and say they won. I have actually seen instances of a network newscast interviewing someone who claimed to be a winner who wasn't. So until we actually see the ticket, we have no idea who won.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABELL: Well, Leon, I've got to tell you, that was not the winner. That's the president of the Georgia Lottery. That's Rebecca Paul. She was talking here about an hour, hour and a half ago. She is upstairs right now talking to Erica Green, the self-proclaimed winner, and she walked upstairs with her entourage a while ago and answered a number of questions downstairs here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: What are you going to do with the money?

ERICA GREEN, LOTTERY WINNER: I don't know even know how much I am actually going to get as of yet. So I really have no information to give you.

QUESTION: When you found that you had the ticket, what was your reaction? QUESTION: Over here, Erica. Actually when you found out that you had the ticket?

GREEN: Actually I was kind of stunned. I didn't really have anything to say. I am currently working.

QUESTION: What kind of place?

GREEN: A pay phone and cell phone company.

QUESTION: I'm sorry. You said you were working where, ma'am?

QUESTION: Miss, what do you do for a living?

GREEN: I work at north Atlanta at the pay phone and cell phone accessories company.

QUESTION: Are you going to be working there from now on?

GREEN: I'm not sure.

QUESTION: You might keep the job?

GREEN: For the time being, until I get everything settled and straightened out. I am not sure. I think I'm dreaming and I'm not awake yet.

QUESTION: Are you...

QUESTION: You have to be excited.

GREEN: Yes.

QUESTION: This is so amazing. Everybody bought a ticket for this. What did you do when you saw that you had the winning numbers?

GREEN: I just stood there. That's all I could do.

QUESTION: Family, brothers or sisters?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABELL: So once again, that is the self-proclaimed winner. She is upstairs right now. They are trying to validate the ticket. We may get confirmation of that later today.

The estimate as to how much she will get, $58 million, but, Leon and Daryn, that is pre-taxes. Also one final note for all you men out in the audience, she does, in fact, have a boyfriend. She has a boyfriend who was with her, behind her all the way, supporting her all the way on this.

HARRIS: And I will bet by now, Brian, he is armed.

CABELL: He is. He is indeed. They wouldn't tell us where the ticket was, by the way. We asked them, and they said, we will not tell you.

HARRIS: Yes.

CABELL: But she kept it on the dresser overnight, so it was no big deal. She slept for about a half hour too, amazingly. She slept for about a half hour last night, finally got up and said she had to get the ticket out here.

HARRIS: I can't believe she slept at all. Brian, what I want to know is -- this has been driving me nuts the entire time. I have been betting that the winner is going to be someone who only bought one ticket, even though all the rest of us were buying them by, you know, 10s and 20s. Do we know how many ticket she bought at all?

CABELL: You're not going to want to hear this, I don't think. She bought her first 10 tickets for this game, and one of those 10 was the winner. She had not bought any prior to this game.

HARRIS: Oh, you're right! I didn't want to hear that. Thank you very much.

CABELL: Maybe next week, Leon, maybe next week.

HARRIS: All right. We can dream on. We dream on. Brian Cabell at the Georgia Lottery Headquarters here in Atlanta.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com