Store Trashed After Woman's Lottery Claim
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Hundreds of people were left disappointed Tuesday after a woman who claimed she won the lottery promised to return to a clothing store and spend her winnings on all the customers.
The woman said she won $500,000 and wanted to buy clothes for customers at the east side Burlington Coat Factory, ONN affiliate WBNS10TV News reported.
"I said, 'Are you sure?' said Carol Hubbard, who was inside the store. "I said, 'I can't pay you for this,' and she said, 'Honey, I've got $1.5 million and I have been used all of my life and mostly by my family members and this is just my turn to give back.'"
The offer was extended to every shopper at the East Main Street store and not just for clothes.
"I said, 'I don't need the clothes,'" said Candace Jordan, a shopper. "I just need assistance with my rent and she said, 'How much is it?' and she promptly wrote out a check."
The woman who claimed she won the lottery was driven in a stretch Hummer limo.
"I won the lottery for half a million dollars," the woman said. "I don't want any of it and that's why I am here at Burlington."
The woman asked customers to tell their friends and family about her offer and said she would stay until the store closed.
Store managers told 10TV News that she paid for roughly $5,000 in merchandise with a debit card before her card's limit was reached.
The woman then announced to the store that she was returning to the bank to secure more cash but by 3 p.m., police announced that the shopping spree was over and turned the crowds away.
The store closed early so that workers could clean up. Some shoppers said they had carts filled with merchandise. When shoppers learned the merchandise would not be paid for, some customers trashed the store.
