UPDATED: Nurse May Not Have Won Piece of Powerball After All

UPDATED AT 9 p.m.:

The identity of California’s newest multimillionaire remained a mystery Thursday night, with the holder of a winning Powerball ticket purchased in Chino Hills not yet coming forward, but rumors about a Pomona nurse possibly being the lucky person sparked a late-day media frenzy.

A spokesman for nursing home owner Shlomo Rechnitz told the Jewish Journal a winning ticket was given by Rechnitz to a 62-year-old nurse at Park Avenue Healthcare and Wellness Center in Pomona. The spokesman said it was one of 18,000 Powerball tickets Rechnitz purchased and distributed to employees and patients at all of the nursing homes he owns.

When news of the potential winner began breaking late in the afternoon, media outlets raced to the hospital to chase the story, but Lottery officials quickly expressed skepticism, insisting no one had yet come forward with a valid winning ticket.

A short time later, one of the nurse’s daughters told the Los Angeles Times there was a misunderstanding about the ticket, and she had not actually won the jackpot.

Winning tickets for the $1.6 billion Powerball jackpot were sold in Chino Hills, Florida and Tennessee. The Chino Hills ticket was sold at a 7- Eleven store, 492 Chino Hills Parkway.

Earlier today, a man who bought a ticket in Pacoima that matched five numbers, but not the Powerball number of 10, came forward to claim his prize. Arturo Velasquez was one of 12 people in the state who matched five numbers in Wednesday night’s drawing.

“I’m a little sad. I wanted to win it all,” Velasquez said in an interview with Lottery officials.

The news wasn’t all bad for Velasquez, who still won $638,146 for matching the numbers 4, 8, 19, 27 and 34.

He bought his ticket at Eden Roc Liquor, 13404 Van Nuys Blvd. in Pacoima.

According to Lottery officials, there were 11 similar tickets sold in California -- in Santa Monica, Tustin, Gardena, Irwindale, Chula Vista, Redlands, Nipton, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Vacaville and Cloverdale.

• South Bay Store Sold a Winning 5-Number Powerball Ticket

A large and jubilant crowd began packing the Chino Hills 7-Eleven shortly after the news broke Wednesday night about the sale of the jackpot ticket, with the crowd spilling into the parking lot and whooping it up late into the night for TV news cameras. Many chanted “Chino Hills! Chino Hills!”

The 7-Eleven owner received $1 million for selling the winning ticket.

Each third of the jackpot is worth $528.8 million if taken over 30 years, or $327.8 million if taken as a one-time payment. That’s before federal and state taxes, however, which combined can exceed 40 percent of the total.

The Powerball game is played in 44 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands, but California leads the country in Powerball ticket sales.

ORIGINAL STORY:

A 62-year-old nurse in Pomona is believed to be about $300 million to $500 million richer today, with reports she is holding a jackpot-winning Powerball ticket given to her by her boss.

One winning ticket for Wednesday’s Powerball drawing was sold in California, at the 7-Eleven at 4092 Chino Hills Parkway in Chino Hills. The holder of that ticket will share a $1.586 billion jackpot with winners in Florida and Tennessee, lottery officials announced late Wednesday.

The owner of that ticket from Chino Hills has not come forward or been officially identified.

The Jewish Journal, however, reported that the winner is a nurse at Park Avenue Healthcare and Wellness Center in Pomona. A representative for owner Shlomo Rechnitz told the paper Rechnitz purchased 18,000 Powerball tickets and distributed them to employees and residents at all of the nursing homes he owns.

The winner, who has seven children, six of whom are also nurses, was working Wednesday night when the numbers were drawn, and reportedly finished her shift before going home around 11:30 p.m.

Earlier today, a man who bought a ticket in Pacoima that matched five numbers, but not the Powerball number of 10, came forward to claim his prize. Arturo Velasquez was one of 12 people in the state who matched five numbers in Wednesday night’s drawing.

“I’m a little sad. I wanted to win it all,” Velasquez said in an interview with Lottery officials.

The news wasn’t all bad for Velasquez, who still won $638,146 for matching the numbers 4, 8, 19, 27 and 34.

He bought his ticket at Eden Roc Liquor, 13404 Van Nuys Blvd. in Pacoima.

According to Lottery officials, there were 11 other similar tickets sold in California -- in Santa Monica, Tustin, Gardena, Irwindale, Chula Vista, Redlands, Nipton, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Vacaville and Cloverdale.

A large and jubilant crowd began packing the Chino Hills 7-Eleven shortly after the news broke Wednesday night about the sale of the jackpot ticket, spilling into the parking lot and whooping it up late into the night for TV news cameras. Many chanted “Chino Hills! Chino Hills!”

The 7-Eleven owner received $1 million for selling the winning ticket.

Each third of the jackpot is worth $528.8 million if taken over 30 years, or $327.8 million if taken as a one-time payment. That’s before federal and state taxes, however, which combined can exceed 40 percent of the total.

The Powerball game is played in 44 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands, but California leads the country in Powerball ticket sales.

THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY. PLEASE REFRESH THE SCREEN FOR UPDATES.

City News Service