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Paul Little, the rightful winner of the $3 million prize from a Mega Millions lottery ticket, had no idea he was a millionaire. And he wasn’t able to claim his prize for 6 months.

He purchased the winning ticket in the Lakeville Market & Liquors on January 17. Investigators could reconstruct what happened using store surveillance video and the time-stamped tickets.

Little purchased two Mega Millions Quick Picks and two Mass Cash tickets, adding the multiplier to increase his win. And he also purchased a bag of barbecue potato chips. Then he left 2 tickets behind.

Carly Nunes and Joseph Reddem, 32, were working as clerks at the store that day. 

Nunes, 23, the clerk who printed out the tickets for Little, mistakenly gave them to the next customer. He returned them to her. And that’s when she figured out that the tickets must have belonged to Little.

$3 Million Prize 

According to the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office, Nunes took the tickets home with her. And the numbers were drawn that night. And she had a multi-million dollar winning ticket.

Two days later, Joseph Reddem drove Nunes and her boyfriend to Dorchester to the local lottery headquarters to collect the prize. And that’s when things started to go wrong.

First of all, the ticket was damaged. It had burn marks on it. And then Nunes and Reddem got into a heated argument about how to distribute the winnings. And since they were arguing in the lobby of the lottery headquarters, officials noticed.

Officials confronted the clerks and said there would be an investigation.  

Nunes went on the run for two weeks and was eventually caught.  She pleaded not guilty to charges of larceny from a building, attempted larceny, presentation of a false claim, and witness intimidation. 

Reddem pleaded not guilty to one count of attempted extortion. 

Nunes is currently being held on bail, while Reddem was released but is prohibited from gambling or contacting Nunes or any other witnesses.

Little, unaware that he had left a winning ticket at the store, only discovered he was a millionaire when he was questioned as part of the investigation. 

He finally claimed his $3 million prize and expressed his gratitude to the Massachusetts lottery officials for ensuring that the rightful winner received the award. 

Little, a diesel mechanic, plans to use the money to pay off his mortgage, renovate his home, and donate to charity. He has decided he will keep his job.

USA Herald, Stolen lottery ticket, Massachusetts man, $3 million prize, Convenience store workers, Mega Millions lottery, Lotto headquarters, Lottery jackpot, Lottery winner, Carly Nunes, Joseph Reddem, Paul Little