welfare riding lottery winner

[RACER X]

http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/...lfare-20110518

Michigan lottery winner still on welfare
Updated: Wednesday, 18 May 2011, 8:08 AM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 18 May 2011, 8:08 AM EDT

AUBURN, M.I. (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) - A Michigan man's fantasy became a reality when he hit a big lottery pay day, but the new millionaire isn't giving up his welfare check.

Leroy Fick was on public assistance when he took home a two-million dollar prize last June.

Food stamps are a federal program and are based on a person's gross income.

Lottery winnings are considered liquid assets and don't count as income and Leroy says he doesn't feel bad about being rich and staying on welfare.

Fick says his pay day isn't all that great, saying the IRS took more than half of his winnings.

Still, many who need public assistance say he is mocking them and the system.

[Porkchop]

Facepalm....

[Papa_Complex]

I would be more annoyed by this, if it wasn't for......

Must I pay taxes on my Lottery winnings?

As they say, "It's the law". Twenty-five percent in Federal tax is withheld from prize amounts over $5,000, and five percent Illinois State tax is withheld from prize amounts of $1,000 or more. Actual tax liability may be more or less, depending on your individual filing status.

... so he'll be paying himself for a goodly number of years.

[pauldun170]

Last year
http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/i...criticism.html
Current
http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/i...a_lottery.html

http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/i...describes.html

[shmike]

Originally Posted by pauldun170

Last year
http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/i...criticism.html
Current
http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/i...a_lottery.html

http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/i...describes.html

"This is a very sad story,” Wilson said. “It’s a story that the money he won is essentially gone. He’s living hand-to-mouth again, and it’s very sad to see how he’s been taken advantage of by his family and other people who swooped in.

It may be sad but it's not uncommon.

[Papa_Complex]

Originally Posted by shmike

It may be sad but it's not uncommon.

I don't even really find it all that sad. He was the architect of his own demise.

[No Worries]

I don't know what's worse, convincing other welfare recipients to waste their money on lottery tickets or wearing a Vietnam Veteran's hat (if he really is one) to court.

[Rangerscott]

He's not black!!!!

[RACER X]

another one

(CNN) -- A Michigan woman who won the lottery but continued to receive food assistance from the state government has had her benefits pulled, officials said.

Amanda Clayton hit it big playing the Michigan Lottery. Like many winners, she used her $1 million prize to buy a new house.

But the Lincoln Park, Michigan, resident continued to receive money in another form -- $200 a month in state food assistance, according to CNN Detroit affiliate WDIV.

Her story made headlines, and on Thursday, the state's Department of Human Services announced that she is no longer getting the benefits.

According to Michigan law, welfare recipients must report any changes in assets or income to the agency within 10 days.

The department "relies on clients being forthcoming about their actual financial status. If they are not, and continue to accept benefits, they may face criminal investigation and be required to pay back those benefits," Director Maura Corrigan said in a statement.

She said the agency supports new legislation that would verify whether lottery winners receive state benefits.

"I thought that they would cut me off, but since they didn't, I thought, maybe, it was OK because I'm not working," Clayton, 24, told WDIV when it asked whether it was appropriate for her to receive the money.

A state lawmaker is trying to stop such assistance, which is not illegal. He says the food assistance should not go to those who have found riches through the lottery.

"We need to continue to protect our taxpayers' dollars ... and taxpayer dollars should be going to those who really do need assistance," Michigan Rep. Dale Zorn of Ida Township told HLN's Vinnie Politan on Wednesday.

In October, Clayton walked away with $1 million in the "Make Me Rich!" lottery game show. She also bought a car, WDIV reported.

After taking a lump sum and paying taxes, the unemployed woman said she ended up with just more than $500,000.

Asked if she had the right to the public assistance money, Clayton answered, "I kind of do. I have no income, and I have bills to pay. I have two houses."
Zorn said the state House has passed bills on the matter. One would require a state agency to conduct an assets test if a citizen wins more than $1,000 in lottery earnings. "That will trigger whether or not the people are eligible to receive public assistance."

The legislature has not approved any final measures.

Clayton told WDIV she had wanted to continue using a food-assistance card until it is cut off. "It's hard. I am struggling."

[Gas Man]

This shit is all over the local news and radio...

These people should be forced to pay back all their money recv'd post lottery. PERIOD!