Lottery lows

The clock is ticking on an unclaimed $250,000 Mega Millions prize in Virginia.

Whoever bought the ticket, purchased on Jan. 18 in Chesapeake, must claim the prize before 5 p.m. July 18. If the prize isn't claimed by the deadline, the money will to go the state Literary Fund.

But there's a reason you may not want to be a winner.

Many lives have been turned upside down by sudden wealth. One of the most famous is Jack Whittaker, a West Virginia native who owned property in Virginia.

Whittaker won $314.9 million on Christmas Day in 2002. Instead of receiving the full amount in annuity, he opted for a single cash payment of $170 million. After taxes, he donated 10 percent to three churches and started a foundation for poor children, among other charitable pursuits.

But Whittaker's struggles with drinking, gambling and philandering became public, and tales of his transgressions were retold with relish.

"I think Jack believes in God and trusts in God. I just think that some of these things have overwhelmed him, and I think he's struggling right now," Michael Osborne, who works for Whittaker, told USA Today in 2004. "The more you have, the more difficult it is to resist temptation."

Whittaker's home and car were repeatedly burglarized. At a strip club, thieves broke into his Lincoln Navigator and stole a briefcase stuffed with $245,000 in $100 bills and three $100,000 cashier's checks. The briefcase was later found, with the money.

Whittaker was charged twice with driving while under the influence and sued repeatedly, once by three female casino employees who accused him of assault. In all, Whittaker says, he's been involved in 460 legal actions since winning.

"I don't have any friends," he said in a lengthy interview with The Associated Press. "Every friend that I've had, practically, has wanted to borrow money or something and of course, once they borrow money from you, you can't be friends anymore."

He blamed media coverage of his exploits and constant requests for money as the reason his wife left him, and said he drank because he was worried about granddaughter Brandi Bragg.

"She was going to inherit everything," Whittaker said. "Everything that we have was built in a way that it went to her on her 21st birthday."

She never saw that day, dying at 17 after struggling with drug addiction.

"If it would bring my granddaughter back, I'd give it all back," Whittaker said of his jackpot. "But I can't get her back, so might as well keep the money, I guess."

Almost five years later, Whittaker is left with things money can't cure: His daughter's cancer, a long list of indiscretions documented in newspapers and court records, and an inability to trust others.

Whittaker has little doubt as to his own legacy.

"I'm only going to be remembered as the lunatic who won the lottery," he said. "I'm not proud of that. I wanted to be remembered as someone who helped a lot of people."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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