Posted on 09/26/2005 2:31:20 PM PDT by Redcitizen
1 hour, 49 minutes ago
DES MOINES, Iowa - A man who immigrated from Kenya to the United States found prosperity beyond his expectations on the day he became a U.S. citizen.
Shortly after Moses Bittok, of West Des Moines, took the oath of citizenship on Friday, he discovered he had a $1.89 million winning ticket from the Iowa Lottery's Hot Lotto game.
"It's almost like you adopted a country and then they netted you $1.8 million," Bittok said Monday as he cashed in his ticket. "It doesn't happen anywhere — I guess only in America."
Bittok said he took the citizenship oath at the federal building in Des Moines Friday then went shopping with his family. They stopped at a gas station to check his lottery ticket from the Sept. 21 drawing.
"For some reason, I'm calm," he said. His wife, Leonida, screamed.
Bittok, 40, an officer at the Iowa Correctional Institute for Women in Mitchellville, said he doesn't know exactly what he will do with his winnings, but a college fund for the couples 4-year-old daughter, Mindy, is top priority.
Bittok chose to receive his winnings in 25 annual payments of about $52,920 after taxes.
He came to the U.S. to attend college in Minnesota, then moved to Iowa to take the job at the women's prison.
He had purchased the winning ticket at a West Des Moines grocery store, where he once worked part time.
Hot Lotto tickets are sold in Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, South Dakota and West Virginia.
Too cool.
Way cool! :-)
My name is _________ _________, and I am a civil servant in the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
I have located a sum of missing money in the amount of $1,500,000,000 US that was earmarked for hurricane relief and apparently misrouted as state and local officials tried to appropriate it.
I need the assistance of someone unconnected with....
You get the idea.
It is clear that this man does not plan on being one of those lottery idiots who spends it all in one or two years. That's why he didn't do the lump sum option.
Bah, I want it all at once and it goes straight into Treasury Bonds and I live off of the interest.
Lump sum of 1.89 mil would be about 1 million. Then take out 30 to 40% for tax. 5% interest on 600k is 30k, and Gubment will take out tax on the interest earnings as well.
Way to bring us down, Joe.
Is this a great country or what? :-)
Holy crap! Wait till the rest of Kenya finds out about this!
Wait until Mr. Bittok finds out about another quaint American custom. Unlike almost every other country in the world, he did not "net" $1.8 million. He gets to pay ordinary income tax on the whole thing. In most other countries, lottery and casino winnings are tax exempt.
Yup, "only in America" indeed.
You pay your money and take your chances...
Then there will be long lost relatives, suddenly everyone is an old friend from high school, etc
This story made me smile. Thanks.
30K is more than I have ever made from a paycheck, I think I could scrape by. hehehe
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