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American Morning
Mega Millions Lottery Winner
Aired January 07, 2004 - 07:10 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.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The Ohio woman who won a $162 million Mega Millions lottery is telling other bettors to believe, because she says you never know what's going to happen. The woman spoke after claiming her winnings, which had already been claimed by another woman who said she had lost her winning ticket.
David Mattingly has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a hard- luck story of lottery anguish that had everyone talking. An Ohio woman claims she lost a winning ticket worth $162 million after she dropped her purse in a convenience store parking lot.
ELECIA BATTLE, CLAIMED SHE LOST WINNING TICKET: And the ticket, I lost it, it's mine. It's my property, and no one can cash it in.
MATTINGLY: Elecia Battle reported her misfortune to police Monday, who said they had no reason to think she was lying. Hearing the news, more than two dozen people swarmed a store parking lot in a snowy Cleveland suburb looking for the lost ticket with flashlights.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm trying to become a millionaire.
MATTINGLY: But in the morning, it turns out the ticket wasn't lost at all.
REBECCA JEMISON, MEGA MILLIONS WINNER: Wow!
MATTINGLY: Wow, indeed. Ohio lottery officials say hospital employee Rebecca Jemison is the true mega millionaire, producing both the winning ticket and a receipt from the store at the time she bought it.
Angered, she says, by the other woman's claims, Jemison checked with an accountant and a lawyer before coming forward.
JEMISON: I knew that what I possessed. I knew the proof I had. So, it didn't bother me at all.
MATTINGLY: Beating the odds exceeding 135 million to 1, Jemison opted to take a single cash payout worth 67 million after taxes.
Police are looking into Elicia Battle's story and the possibility she filed a false police report, something that carries a penalty of up to six months in jail and $1,000 fine. David Mattingly, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired January 7, 2004 - 07:10 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The Ohio woman who won a $162 million Mega Millions lottery is telling other bettors to believe, because she says you never know what's going to happen. The woman spoke after claiming her winnings, which had already been claimed by another woman who said she had lost her winning ticket.
David Mattingly has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a hard- luck story of lottery anguish that had everyone talking. An Ohio woman claims she lost a winning ticket worth $162 million after she dropped her purse in a convenience store parking lot.
ELECIA BATTLE, CLAIMED SHE LOST WINNING TICKET: And the ticket, I lost it, it's mine. It's my property, and no one can cash it in.
MATTINGLY: Elecia Battle reported her misfortune to police Monday, who said they had no reason to think she was lying. Hearing the news, more than two dozen people swarmed a store parking lot in a snowy Cleveland suburb looking for the lost ticket with flashlights.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm trying to become a millionaire.
MATTINGLY: But in the morning, it turns out the ticket wasn't lost at all.
REBECCA JEMISON, MEGA MILLIONS WINNER: Wow!
MATTINGLY: Wow, indeed. Ohio lottery officials say hospital employee Rebecca Jemison is the true mega millionaire, producing both the winning ticket and a receipt from the store at the time she bought it.
Angered, she says, by the other woman's claims, Jemison checked with an accountant and a lawyer before coming forward.
JEMISON: I knew that what I possessed. I knew the proof I had. So, it didn't bother me at all.
MATTINGLY: Beating the odds exceeding 135 million to 1, Jemison opted to take a single cash payout worth 67 million after taxes.
Police are looking into Elicia Battle's story and the possibility she filed a false police report, something that carries a penalty of up to six months in jail and $1,000 fine. David Mattingly, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
