Here's The 16 Biotech Workers Who Landed $58 Million In NY Lottery For Only $4 Each

The players who called themselves "The Lucky 16 Trust" gather to collect the winning check.

A group of Manhattan biotech workers huddled in a conference room to let the winning news sink in, and to do 'some jumping around.'

The lucky 16, who have been playing Mega Millions with $4 each time, were rewarded with a $58 million jackpot in the March 24 draw.

Their winning ticket was purchased in the same building where the group works, just feet away from Penn Station.

The jackpot-winning ticket was purchased at Carlton Cards at One Penn Plaza in Manhattan. The store receives $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.

They collected their winnings of over $1.6 million each in a presentation on April 30, 2015.

Group spokeswoman and company COO Evelyn Harrison said the Lucky 16 represent senior executives, administrative staff 'and everyone in between.'

The lucky colleagues have been playing together since 2010 with a brief break last year during the company’s reorganization.

Harrison said individual office pool members contribute $4 weekly toward the purchase of multi-state game tickets.

ABC reporter Gio Benitez outside the Penn Plaza where the group bought their tickets each week.

“We rotate who buys the tickets and the stores where we buy to be fair to everyone,” Harrison said. “We also require the buyer to send copies of the ticket to everyone in the group so we all have it.”

The group, she said, is not nearly as organized when it comes to checking the winning numbers.

“There was a lot of buzz around the office following the drawing as everyone learned the jackpot winner was sold in our building,” she laughed.

A few of us decided we should probably check our numbers and we went from one person's computer to another’s checking each person’s scan of the ticket because we wanted to be absolutely sure.

Once we were convinced, we sent an email to everyone else to tell them to check out the winning numbers for themselves.”

 The winning numbers for the March 24 Mega Millions drawing were 02 – 23 – 32 – 45 – 55 – and Mega Ball 12.

Matthew Jung, one of the Lucky 16 who accompanied Harrison to claim the ticket, said members of the group later huddled in a conference room to let the news sink in and to do some jumping around.

“There was a lot of energy in that room. We told ourselves to focus on work like nothing had happened. But, something DID happen, and, to be honest, we didn’t accomplish a lot that day. It’s been a very intense ride,” he said.


VIDEO: ABC

The beneficiaries of the Lucky 16 Trust will split a one-time cash payment of $38,334,435 (net $25,369,729). Each winner will receive a 6.25 percent share of the prize which amounts to more than $1.65 million.

The group’s plans for the money range from paying off school loans and mortgages to investing for retirement.

Harrison said the group has pledged to watch out for one another. “We’re a small group. We ground each other. We won’t let anyone get carried away.”

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