N.J. Big Game winner isn't in nursing home pool
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Posted 5:47PM on Monday, April 29, 2002
LAWRENCEVILLE, NEW JERSEY - A group of Newark nursing home workers who thought they held a winning Big Game ticket found out Monday what their prize was -- two-dollars. <br>
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Lottery officials -- who used store videotapes in their investigation -- say the real Big Game winner from New Jersey wasn't a worker in the office pool and has no connection to the group. <br>
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Lottery officials plan to release the identity of the winner Tuesday, who will collect $59 million, before taxes. <br>
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A lawyer for the nursing home workers had claimed they pooled their money to buy the winning ticket. The workers claimed co-worker Angelito Marquez had the winning ticket but was refusing to give it to the group. <br>
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Marquez insisted all the tickets he purchased were losers. <br>
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The lottery's review found that Marquez bought $100 worth of tickets on April 15 at Shoppers Discount Liquors in Union; one of the tickets had a $2 prize. The winning ticket worth millions, however, was purchased in a $5 block of tickets on April 13 at the Gulf Gas/1-2-3 Food Market in Hillside, lottery officials said.