Aside from these heartbreaking stories, we’d love to know the answers to a few questions: How does someone who is living in our country ILLEGALLY qualify to win a state lottery? And does someone who wins a million dollar state lottery still qualify for food stamps in that state? 

Welfare Queen, Amanda Clayton

A 24-year-old Detroit woman won $1 million in a Michigan state lottery game and received a $700,000 lump sum. She made headlines afterward after she kept trying to receive food stamps. She claimed since she was a mother of two, unemployed, and had to pay her debt so she still should have been entitled to collect welfare. The Department of Human Services dropped her from the program 10 days later.

Here is an interview with Amanda:

Critics called for her arrest, though Clayton never faced charges.

Jack Whittacker

Powerball winner Andrew “Jack” Whittaker won a record $314 million jackpot in 2002 and took a one-time payout of $114 million, after taxes.

But then, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash were stolen in his house, cars and office. He had a slew of arrests for assaulting a bar manager, groping a woman at a dog track and several for drunken driving. He had to pay off a number of lawsuits, including one for the wrongful death of his teen granddaughter’s boyfriend, who died in his home.

He ended up broke just five years after his big win. He has said he wishes he had torn up the ticket.

ILLEGAL ALIEN #1: Jose Antonio Cua-Toc

In 2010, an undocumented immigrant in Georgia named Jose Antonia Cua-Toc won a $750,000 lottery – but gave it to his boss to cash it in because he feared being deported.

His boss, Erick Cervantes, ended up firing him, pocketing the money and accusing him of making terroristic threats. Cua-Toc was jailed for the alleged threats.

Cua-Toc, a 27-year-old from Guatemala, sued for his award and won the suit two years later. He was awarded $750,000, about $500,000 after taxes, plus $207,000 in attorney fees.

When he won, Cua-Toc was serving a 44-day sentence for drunk driving. He could still face deportation.

ILLEGAL ALIEN #2: Juan Rodriguez

Juan Rodriguez, a Colombian immigrant, was on the brink of bankruptcy in 2004 and working a low-paying job as a parking attendant when he blew his last dollar on a lottery ticket. He ended up winning a $149 million prize, and took home a lump sum of $88 million.

Ten days later his wife, Iris, filed for divorce and sued for half the winnings. She filed for an injunction preventing him from touching the jackpot until they reached a settlement, which tied up the million for years. He was also forced to hire bodyguards to protect his family in Colombia because they were in danger of being kidnapped.

Abraham Shakespeare

A 43-year-old truck driver’s assistant won $30 million in the Florida lottery in 2006, then vanished years later. Police believe Abraham Shakespeare was killed.

He had taken a $16.9 million payout, and bought a new car, a Rolex and a $1 million home and promised to start a foundation for the poor.

He was eventually sued by a co-worker who accused him of stealing the winning ticket. Shakespeare won the lawsuit but said hangers-on were constantly asking for a piece of his fortune. He hasn’t been seen in years. Via: Latino FOX News