A California woman was convinced for several hours Thursday that she was hundreds of millions of dollars richer, only to learn after her story was broadcast to the world that her son was playing a cruel joke on her. The 62-year-old nurse did not win a one-third share of the $1.5 billion prize.
Los Angeles TV station KABC reported Thursday afternoon that the woman held a winning ticket and that it had been gifted to her by her boss, who owned a chain of nursing homes. Her name was not released, but she is a mother of seven who works at Park Avenue Health Care and Wellness Center in Pomona, California.
The owner purchased thousands of tickets and gave them to employees, KABC reported.
The woman's son called her Thursday and said her ticket matched the winning numbers. She told her coworkers and her supposed good fortune was soon reported by the TV station. It was retracted later in the evening when California lottery officials raised questions.
UPDATE: Nursing home owner purchased 18,000 Powerball tickets for nurses and residents https://t.co/e8Goh74I22 pic.twitter.com/SN4x6YTPAu
-- ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) January 15, 2016
A winning ticket was confirmed to have been sold at a 7-Eleven convenience store in Chino Hills, California. No actual winner had come forward to claim the prize by late Thursday.
