Nursing home workers take center of Big Game dispute

NEWARK, NEW JERSERY - Nineteen nursing home employees have accused a co-worker of hoarding the winning ticket in the April 16 Big Game drawing after buying it for their office lottery pool. <br> <br> The workers, mostly nurse&#39;s aides who care for the elderly and disabled, were cheated out of a share of the $59 million purse by a man they thought they could trust, said their attorney, Anthony H. Guerino. <br> <br> ``This was the American dream come true for them,&#39;&#39; Guerino told The Star-Ledger of Newark. ``They&#39;re distraught. They&#39;re angry that they&#39;ve been cheated.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The New Jersey Lottery Commission, which received the competing claims Wednesday afternoon, has asked the state Attorney General&#39;s Office to help untangle the dispute. <br> <br> Frank Cannone, one of three lawyers retained by the ticket holder, said the group&#39;s claim ``has no factual basis whatsoever, and we expect that the state will resolve this immediately.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Attorneys, state officials and other workers from Newark&#39;s Extended Care Facility Inc. all declined to name those involved in the dispute. <br> <br> The ticket holder is a man, and the other workers include 18 women and one man, Guerino said. Most are nightshift workers. <br> <br> Guerino said each member of the group chipped in $5 to buy tickets for the April 16 drawing. Photocopies were not made. <br> <br> Three winning tickets one each in Georgia, Illinois and New Jersey were sold for the $331 million purse. New Jersey&#39;s share was reduced to $58.9 million because the buyer chose to take the prize in a lump sum. <br> <br> The New Jersey ticket holder told co-workers they had not won, but they later found information that contradicted the proof he provided, Guerino said. The lawyer declined to give further details. <br> <br> ``It was a series of very bizarre events,&#39;&#39; Guerino said. ``It all came together subsequent to the drawing. The came to feel he was withholding a winning ticket each and every one of them based upon their interaction with this party and their interaction with other co-workers.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> A lawsuit is an option, but Guerino said he hopes the Lottery Commission will decide his clients deserve part of the jackpot. <br> <br> ``It&#39;s a lesson in humanity,&#39;&#39; Guerino said, ``and unfortunately, if we&#39;re correct, we&#39;ve seen the worst side of humanity: avarice and greed.&#39;&#39;