“I’m really sorry boss. I hit the jackpot. I don’t think I’m going to come in today, tomorrow, or ever.” No matter how much you love your job, everyone has probably had at least a day or two when they wished they could say something like this. Well, it’s exactly what one driver said the day after he realized that he had a winning ticket for the second largest lottery jackpot ever.
Trucker Steve Tran is one of two winners of the California Mega Millions jackpot who will be taking home half of the $648 million. His winning ticket was purchased in San Jose, but sat on his dresser at home for weeks because he had forgotten all about it. It wasn’t until after he returned home from a vacation that he had a late-night epiphany.
At 3 a.m. Tran woke up and ran to check his tickets. “I remembered, I think I went to San Jose,” he said. Sure enough, there in a pile of other tickets was the winner. The other winner had come forward to claim her prize a few weeks earlier and officials were waiting for someone to claim Tran’s ticket.
The total jackpot was $648 million, of which Tran gets $324 million. If he takes the cash option, he will get $173.8 million. The national tax on that is 25% and since Tran is in California, he will not have to pay state taxes on his winnings, meaning he will receive $130.35 million – a far cry from the initial $324 million, but still more than enough to say goodbye to trucking for good.
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Source: huffingtonpost
Good for Steve! Now, take it and invest in America. Invest in manufacturing and industry that will provide good prevailing jobs for the middle class and re-invest in our future. For God’s sake, don’t take the money and sit on it and let it profit only you and the banks and financial industry. The elites have already thrown us under the proverbial bus, so don’t you do the same. Remember how our great nation came to be. Help us rebuild so our children have a future. Don’t go global on us Steve.
Amazing! It’s great to hear a story of new found wealth. We all dream of it hoping someday it to be ourselves. Congratulations Steve!!! Enjoy and spoil yourself and family. And may you never work another day again under someone else!!!
He could start an honest trucking company and put a shady operator out of business! I’d consider it…
the last thing i would do is anything in the trucking industry-i might buy a truck along with a load of rocks and when i wake up every morning i’d throw a rock at it. stay as far away from this industry as possible -thats 35 years out here talkin
david b……right on! rent a front loader, largest you can find….have a load of big rocks , that’ll fit in the bucket and do that freightliner in… you could put the results on truck paper and the value
of that junk would be no less than all the freightshakers in the paper!
Don’t forget where you came from. Put some of the winnings into something worth while like the st. Christopher fund or make-a-wish truck convoy for wishes. I certainly support you in indulging and having fun it’s your money use it. Just don’t forget truckers help their own
steve tran….run like the wind away from this scumbucket industry. Good luck to all you other drivers seeking the big one!
130.35 mil out of 640 mil, and he’s lucky because CA does not require him to pay state tax? Holy SH**!!! How does the government get away with this?
ray- your talkin about the most corrupt goverment and thier cronies in modern history – what else would one expect? cuz they can.
Actually Ray, that would be from $320m if he takes the cash instead of the annuity. There were two winning tickets so he’s only entitled to half the pot.
I would be very happy with that amount of money
Okay, so there were 2 winning tickets. That makes it better, but it’s still outrageous. 130 mil of 320 mil is 40.6% and he’s lucky because he doesn’t have to pay state tax. It’s still a major scam.
The lottery is a tax for the stupid. You’re never going to win.