Michigan Man Still Receives Food Stamps After Winning $2 Million Jackpot
Published May 18, 2011
A Michigan man who won $2 million from a state lottery is reportedly still eligible to receive food stamps.
Leroy Fick of Bay County, Mich., said in an interview with WNEM-TV that he still uses his bridge card at stores despite winning a jackpot on "Make Me Rich!" last June.
"I even called them and asked about the bridge card and (the Department of Human Services) said you can go ahead and keep it if you want to," Fick reportedly told the station.
Fick claims he paid more than half of his winnings in taxes -- leaving him about $850,000 -- according to the station.
State Department of Human Services spokeswoman Gisgie Gendreau told MyFoxDetroit.com that under federal guidelines, lottery winnings are not counted as income if a person receives a lump-sum payment.
Nearly 1.9 million Michigan residents are enrolled in the food assistance program. More than 805,000 are children, according to the Detroit Free Press.
In 2009, the Office of Inspector General investigated more than 2,600 food assistance complaints, finding more than $5 million in fraud.
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