Bankrupt Iowa man wins $113 million Powerball jackpot

Hugh Allen Hawkins of 34th Street in Des Moines, Iowa, last summer filed for bankruptcy.  He had $250 cash in the bank and credit card debts of $87,000.  Not a great position to be in, especially with a family of 5 to support.

But Hugh's financial woes dissolved on December 14 2005, when he became Iowa state's biggest ever lottery winner when he won a whopping $113.2 million Powerball jackpot.

On the advice of financial advisors, Hugh did not claim his prize until after January 1 2006, thus postponing his tax bill on the winnings ($16 million) until December 2006, and managed to keep the win secret from very curious neighbors until the new year.   But it had been made public that one of the 609 Powerball tickets sold at a northwest Des Moines Dahl's supermarket had won the $113 million jackpot.  

You can imagine the gossip machine in sleepy Beaverdale Iowa going into overdrive with the news that someone amongst them was $113 million richer!  But now that they know who it is, they will likely not get a chance to chat to Hugh about his big win, as his $125,000 one-and-a-half-story Beaverdale brick is empty, still trimmed with Christmas lights and a wreath.   The Hawkins' whereabouts are not known, and judging by Hugh's ability to keep a secret, they are unlikely to be easy to find.

And Hugh's last comments on how the win is going to change his life...

"I will not own an alarm clock from this day forward."

Nice one Hugh

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