Remember that chick who was put on blast for still receiving food stamps after she’d won a million dollar lottery prize?
[READ: WTF?!? Million Dollar Lottery Winner Explains Why She’s On Food Stamps (VIDEO)]
Besides the food stamps debacle, the 25 year old lottery winner broke several rules of lottery failures past and now she’s not around anymore to spend her winnings OR collect her government subsidized meal assistance.
Details…
The circumstances surrounding Clayton?s death were not immediately released by police, but sources within her local police department said they suspect the woman died of an overdose.
Clayton became a millionaire after her big win last September, caused outrage earlier this year when it was revealed she was continuing to get $200 in monthly food aid from the state. According to the attorney general?s office, Clayton failed to report her winnings and employment while receiving $5,475 in food and medical assistance.
As a former lottery employee, I know personally that there are several things you should NOT do when you win a substantial prize and the Huffington Post lists the top 5:
1. Don’t tell anyone you won (collect the money anonymously).
2. Get all your ducks in a row BEFORE you collect the check (it’ll be there… TRUST!)
3. Never take the lump sum payment. (An annuity (money over time) will give you time to adjust to being a millionaire and will also guarantee you don’t go overboard and spend all your dough in one swoop.)
4.? Consult a financial adviser and make sure they have experience with multi-million dollar accounts.
5. Give back to the community (Good Karma comes back).
Clearly millionaires are not supposed to collect food stamps (strike #1 in the Karma department).
Clayton was sentenced to nine months probation after being convicted of welfare fraud but died before she could even complete the sentence.
People who win the lottery lose perspective on normal things in life. They start to think that rules don’t apply to them. In Amanda’s case, she thought she could outsmart the welfare people and do serious drugs without consequence.
She lost her bet both times.
Clayton was only 25 and after her win, she had a ton of newfound “friends.” It’s clear she broke rule #1 – she couldn’t keep her mouth closed about the dough.
Telling the world that you have money that you never expected to have is asking for trouble. Like Abraham Shakespeare, another lottery winner who wound up dead in Florida, people thinking that your money should be “our” money seem to come out of the woodwork.
Money long, money gone.? It’s clear that winning money can be a gift and also a curse.
RIP Amanda Clayton…
Can you think of any rules to add to the list of Do’s and Don’ts for lottery winners?