A McDonald's worker who is believed to have stolen the winnings of a Mega Millions pool that her and fellow McDonald's employees put money into.
When the jackpot for the March 30, 2012, drawing had topped $656 million, 16 employees of Maryland McDonald's restaurant pooled their money together and charged Mirlande Wilson with buying the tickets, according to the complaint.
Now fourteen employees from a Baltimore-area McDonalds are suing Wilson for their share of the $218.6 million lottery ticket, reports the Baltimore Sun.
Apart from the 14 named plaintiffs and Wilson, the complaint in Baltimore City Circuit Court does not name the 16th member of the alleged pool.
"Upon information and belief, Wilson initially purchased $75.00 of tickets at a Shell station near the McDonald's restaurant," the complaint states.
"On information and belief, she purchased, or caused another to purchase, additional tickets, including the winning ticket at a 7-11 convenience store in Baltimore County. These additional tickets were purchased by virtue of additional monies being paid into the pool after the first purchase."
The 14 co-workers seek a temporary restraining order and injunction barring the Wilson from using or transferring the lottery proceeds before a hearing on the merits.
Mirlande Wilson briefly made headlines in April when she claimed a winning ticket and then said she lost it.
Three Maryland teachers later stepped forward to claim the prize with the winning ticket. Lottery officials declared them the legitimate winners and Wilson's actions were dismissed as a hoax.
Dominique Gourdet, listed as the lead plaintiff in court records, says he was Wilson's live-in boyfriend at the time and she confessed all: She had the winning ticket and showed him pictures of it on her cell phone. And she conspired with the educators and her lawyer to claim a heftier share of that one ticket. In total, the payout for that winning number across the country was $656 million.
