Lottery winner comes forward, but some mystery remains

Brothers Matthew (left) and Fadi Alberre, members of the family that owns Marietta Liquor, pose with a poster announcing the winning lottery ticket purchased at their store June 10. File photo

The holder of the winning $447 million Powerball ticket finally has come forward to California Lottery officials -- but don't expect many details on the elusive multimillionaire.

Lottery officials on Wednesday identified Jeff Lindsay as the person who purchased the winning ticket June 10 at Marietta Liquor in the Sun City community in Menifee. Lindsay has elected to take a lump sum payout of $279.1 million.

However, Lindsay chose not to pose for a publicity photo, as many lottery winners do. He has not publicly returned to the liquor store in Menifee. According to the announcement, Lindsay does not wish to speak to the media. No other information about him or his family were released, so it is not even known if he is a resident of Menifee.

Lindsay released the following statement through the lottery office:

""We are obviously thrilled with this tremendous stroke of good luck and are still getting our arms around what it means for us. We are private people and do not want to change who we are or become public figures and ask that people appreciate and respect our privacy. In order to help manage what has already been a somewhat overwhelming process, we have engaged a number of financial, legal and other advisors to guide us and help us make the best decisions possible.

"Once things calm down, we plan on working closely with our team of advisors to determine how to properly manage and invest this newfound wealth to ensure that we can support our family and causes that are important to us for many generations to come."

According to the announcement, Lindsay bought some Scratchers tickets at Marrieta Liquor, then returned later to cash in one winner. At that time, he purchcased 10 Powerball tickets. He told lottery officials the winning ticket sat on the kitchen counter until he heard the ticket had been purchased in Menifee.

"We congratulate Jeff and his family on their huge win," California Lottery Director Hugo Lopez said. "This winner is informed and has already assembled a team of legal and financial advisors to help him make the most of this newfound wealth and make it last for many generations. We also understand that they plan on giving back to causes important to them and that is good news for us all. The California Lottery's mission is to provide supplemental funding for public schools, and a portion of any Lottery tickets purchased goes towards that cause."

The owners of Marietta Liquor received $1 million for selling the winning ticket.