$560 Million Powerball Winner’s Huge Mistake — Jackpot Still Unclaimed As Judge Hears Wish Of Anonymity

For the sake of her wish to remain anonymous the $560 million Powerball winner is known as only Jane Doe. This Nashua, New Hampshire, woman’s Powerball fortune sits unclaimed while she holds the winning ticket and it is all because she made one simple mistake — she signed the ticket.

The lottery laws in New Hampshire state that the name of the winner becomes public knowledge, as well as the city in which the jackpot winner dwells. New Hampshire is one of a handful of states that has another option, a “blind trust.” This allows the jackpot winner to put the money in a trust without their name a becoming a matter of public record, according to Fox News.

Jane Doe had the blind trust option up until the time when she signed that winning Powerball ticket. Once it was signed she was left with only one option and that was to have her name made public when she claimed her $560 million jackpot.

Jane Doe offered the excuse to the Lottery Commission that she misinterpreted the lottery rules after reading them and in turn, she signed the ticket. Through her lawyer, she made an attempt to get the commission to let her put the money in a blind trust despite her signature being on the ticket. That request was denied.

It appears that Jane Doe is extremely adamant about not having her name known and she has taken her dilemma to the courts. Judge Charles Temple heard the woman’s arguments through her lawyer as well as what the lawyers from the state had to say. While he did hear the arguments, the judge didn’t indicate when his ruling on the matter would be passed down.

The Powerball winnings from the January 6 drawing have sat unclaimed since that date. The executive director of the New Hampshire Lottery Commission, Charles McIntyre, offered some insight as to when and how Jane Doe can collect her winnings while remaining anonymous.

According to Fox News, she “should be able to claim her winnings as the dispute plays out.” McIntyre also said that they have been in discussion about transferring this money. Jane Doe’s lawyer has said that a trust has been set up.

It sounds as if this New Hampshire woman won’t have to wait too much longer to claim her fortune as her demand to remain anonymous makes its way through the courts.

Her reasons for not wanting to go public are discussed in a previous Inquisitr article, but the main reason is she believes it will disrupt her life. Some real horrific events have happened to some previous lottery jackpot winners, which are also detailed in the other Inquisitr article.

Jane Doe wants to be able to go about her daily activities without worrying. Her lawyer stated her reasons on the court documents. This included the following.

“She is a longtime resident of New Hampshire and is an engaged community member. She wishes to continue this work and the freedom to walk into a grocery store or attend public events without being known or targeted as the winner of a half-billion dollars.”