Massachusetts State Lottery winner: Who won $15 million prize off of scratch-off ticket sold at 7-Eleven? Here’s why name won’t be released
The winner of a $15 million Massachusetts State Lottery prize has been announced but the full name won’t be released.
The lottery announced the Bonzo Family Revocable Trust 2022 of Cranston, Rhode Island has claimed the first $15 million prize in the Massachusetts State Lottery’s “15,000,000 Money Maker” instant ticket game. The trust was represented by trustee Stephen Levesque, Esq.
Massachusetts isn’t one of the at least nine states that allows lottery winners to remain anonymous but it can still happen.
Massachusetts allows lottery winners to create a trust. It then allows the trustee to be able to turn in the winning ticket, receive the check and then deposits it into a bank account set up for the beneficiaries.
“One of the most frequent pieces of advice new lottery winners get from others is to try as hard as possible to remain anonymous,” Baker Law Group’s website states. “If your name and photograph is published, there’s a strong chance you could find yourself quickly harassed with calls and requests for money.”
The law firm allows winners to text or call them to get things moving quickly.
For the Bonzo Family Revocable Trust 2022, Levesque opted to receive its prize in the form of a one-time payment of $9,750,000 before taxes.
The $15 million winning ticket was purchased at 7-Eleven in Fall River, which is located at 1099 William Canning Blvd. The store will also receive a $50,000 bonus for its sale of this ticket.
But the winners don’t remain completely anonymous.
Lottery spokesman Christian Teja previously told The Republican that the secrecy only involves the public. All members of a trust are required to be identified by the lottery for its internal records.
The lottery runs the names of those in a trust past other state agencies, including the state Department of Revenue, the Child Support Enforcement Division, Office of the State Comptroller and the Department of Transitional Assistance. The names of the winners are checked to see if they owe the state money for child support, income taxes, tuition and fees at state colleges, or Mass Health payments. If so, the amount owed is garnished from the winnings.
The $15 million prize ties for the highest prize won in Massachusetts this year.
The other prize was also claimed by a trust.
On March 31, the P.M. Investment Trust of Fall River, which was represented by trustee Joseph H. Silvia, claimed the $15 million prize in a one-time payment of $9,750,000. Silvia was then presented with a check for $6,922,500.
The ticket was for the instant ticket game “Massachusetts Millionaires’ Club.” It was sold at Correia & Sons Market in Somerset, which is located at 500 Read St. That store also received a $50,000 bonus for its sale of this ticket.