Imagine standing in a convenience store line, just trying to grab a quick ticket before a scenic drive, and then realizing you’ve basically become one of the wealthiest people on the planet. Most of us play that "what if" game in our heads while we're stuck in traffic, but for one anonymous woman in Simpsonville, South Carolina, the daydream turned into a massive, complicated reality on October 23, 2018.
She won the $1.537 billion Mega Millions jackpot.
That’s not a typo. It was the largest payout to a single winner in United States history at the time. But the story didn't end with a giant check and a glass of champagne. Instead, it spiraled into a saga involving a mysterious 132-day wait, a "Lottery Lawyer" who turned out to be a fraud, and a legacy of quiet charity that still ripples through the Palmetto State today.
The Act of Kindness That Changed Everything
Honestly, the most wild part of this whole story is how she actually got the ticket. According to the South Carolina Education Lottery, the winner was just passing through the Greenville area and decided to take a drive. She stopped at the KC Mart #7 on Lee Vaughn Road in Simpsonville.
While she was waiting in line, she let another customer go ahead of her to make their purchase.
Think about that for a second. If she hadn't stepped aside, that person would have bought her ticket. A single moment of politeness shifted a billion-dollar outcome. She ended up with the winning "Quick Pick" numbers: 5, 28, 62, 65, 70, and Mega Ball 5.
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The odds were 1 in 302.5 million. Basically, she had a better chance of being hit by a meteorite while being struck by lightning than winning that pot. But there she was, holding a piece of paper worth a fortune.
Why Did the South Carolina Woman Lottery Winner Wait So Long?
For months, South Carolina was buzzing. The drawing happened in October 2018, but nobody came forward. People were starting to lose their minds. Rumors flew that the winner had died of a heart attack upon seeing the numbers, or that they were an undocumented immigrant afraid of being deported.
The deadline to claim the prize was April 19, 2019. If she hadn't shown up, the money would have been distributed back to the 44 participating states.
She finally surfaced in March 2019, just weeks before the clock ran out. Why the wait? She told lottery officials she needed time to "research experienced professionals" and figure out how to handle the sheer gravity of $1.5 billion. She chose the lump-sum cash option, which came out to a staggering **$877,784,124** before taxes.
After Uncle Sam and the state of South Carolina took their cuts—including a cool $61 million for the state’s coffers—she walked away with roughly **$491 million**.
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The "Lottery Lawyer" Nightmare
You’d think with nearly half a billion dollars, your problems would be over. Unfortunately, the person she hired to protect her, Jason Kurland, turned out to be her biggest liability. Kurland, a self-styled "Lottery Lawyer" from New York, was supposed to be the gold standard for jackpot winners.
It didn't go well.
In 2020, federal prosecutors indicted Kurland for running a massive scheme to swindle his clients. It turns out he was funneling their money into high-risk investments and "merchant cash advance" businesses that he partially owned. The South Carolina woman lottery winner reportedly lost upwards of $80 million to this fraud.
It gets weirder. The feds linked some of these business dealings to a member of the Genovese crime family. Kurland was eventually convicted of wire fraud and money laundering in 2022 and sentenced to 13 years in federal prison in June 2023. It's a brutal reminder that even when you win the lottery, you can still lose.
The Legacy of the KC Mart and Anonymous Giving
Despite the legal drama in New York, the winner made good on her promise to help South Carolina. She remained anonymous—a right protected by South Carolina law—but her lawyer (before he was arrested) announced a series of massive donations.
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She reportedly gave to:
- The City of Simpsonville Charity Fund
- Ronald McDonald House Charities of Columbia, SC
- In The Middle, an organization supporting breast cancer patients
- One SC Fund for hurricane relief
- The American Red Cross
Even the store owner, C.J. Patel, got a $50,000 commission for selling the ticket. He used it to renovate his shops. To this day, the KC Mart in Simpsonville is a bit of a local landmark. People still flock there, hoping some of that 2018 "lightning" might strike twice.
What This Means for You
If you ever find yourself holding a winning ticket—whether it's for $1,000 or $1 billion—the South Carolina woman lottery winner's story offers some pretty heavy lessons.
- Stay Quiet. South Carolina is one of the few states (including Delaware, Kansas, Maryland, and a few others) that lets you stay anonymous. If you're in a state that doesn't allow this, consider forming a blind trust.
- Vetting is Everything. Just because someone is a "specialist" doesn't mean they're honest. Use major, reputable wealth management firms with deep institutional history rather than individual boutique lawyers who might be looking for a shortcut.
- Sign the Ticket. Before you do anything else, sign the back of that piece of paper. If you lose it and it's not signed, whoever finds it is technically the winner.
The South Carolina win was a once-in-a-lifetime event that proved kindness pays off, but it also highlighted how dangerous that much money can be when the wrong people are watching. She managed to keep her name out of the headlines, which is perhaps her biggest win of all.
Next Steps for Future Winners:
If you’re playing the lottery today, your first move should be to research your state's anonymity laws. If you win, place your ticket in a fireproof safe or a bank deposit box immediately. Do not tell your neighbors. Do not post a photo of the ticket on social media. Contact a fiduciary financial advisor—someone legally obligated to act in your best interest—before you even think about heading to the lottery headquarters.