Some of the weird names lottery winners use to claim their prizes will make you smile
This 78-year-old grandfather of three used this nom de plume to conceal his identity. READ MORE
An older man walked into Cincinnati attorney John R Brinker’s office a few years ago looking for some advice.
He had won $656,000 through the Ohio Lottery’s Rolling Cash 5 game and wanted to preserve his anonymity. Ohio allows trusts to claim lottery prizes so the identity of big winners can remain a secret.
‘The Three Amigos’ managed to hide behind their $218 million Mega Millions win.
The man needed a proper name for his trust, reported the Beacon Journal.
Brinker looked the winner up and down and, on the spot, came up with the perfect name — “The Wish This Had Happened Sooner Trust.”
“The money would have been more enjoyable if he had been a little younger when he won,” Brinker said with a chuckle, recalling the experience.
“The Lucky Winners” wasn’t at all original, but it did the job for these $128 million Powerball winners.
The Wish This Had Happened Sooner Trust is far from the only humorous or interesting name for a trust that has collected prize money in the Buckeye State over the years.
While many people are fine with having their names made public after a big win, others choose the trust route to keep their identity away from prying public eyes.
The trusts prevent winners from being approached by solicitors — or in some cases maybe even distant relatives — interested in getting a piece of the financial windfall.
Is "‘Robin Egg’ the real name of this $487 million winner? We don't think so.
The Beacon Journal filed a public records request with the Ohio Lottery Commission to hear the stories behind some of the unusual names.
The commission provided 54 claim forms, but said it didn’t have a breakdown of the percentage of winners who choose to collect prizes by a trust.
Most attorneys didn’t return phone calls, while others declined to comment.
So just like the identity of the winners, the stories behind such offbeat names as The Peeky Poo Trust and The Oreo Cutie Trust will remain forever a mystery.
When you’re stuck for a name, then probably a blank is the best idea.
We likely will never know about the amphibian crush behind The Loves Frogs Trust, if The Captain Crunch Trust really is a reference to the famous children’s cereal, or whether the recipient of The Banana Head Trust has a head shaped like a banana.
Ronald Zele, a Willoughby attorney who represents The David’s Song Trust, which won $50,000 a year for 20 years in a Super Millions game in 2015, said there is indeed a tale behind the name. But his client is a private person and he wouldn’t share it.
Berea attorney Margaret Karl was more than willing to chat about The Moms Birthday Trust — and use the story to pass along a valuable life lesson. She handled a claim for a Rolling Cash 5 prize worth $254,003 last year.
Still searching for a suitable name? No, this was a promotional Illinois Mega Millions check for $213 million from the winning store.
Her client was visiting his mother in a southern Ohio nursing home on her birthday around Halloween time. He dipped into a convenience store to grab some candy for a trick-or-treat event at the nursing home and bought the winning ticket. Thus, The Moms Birthday Trust.
“I use it as a funny story to tell people this is why you should always go visit your mothers in the nursing home because it ended up being quite a gain for him in doing so,” said Karl, who handles estate planning and elder care law.
“He was very close to his mom. It was quite a drive. I see a lot of the opposite where people don’t go visit anybody and they live around the corner. Karma can come back in a positive way.”
Hiding your face is not much use when your name, B Raymond Burton, is clearly spelled out on the check.
There surely is a fanciful story behind The Kenny’s I Trust. Is it Kenny Rogers? Kenny G? Kenny Loggins? Kenny Chensey? Kenny Lofton?
Not so fast, Willoughby attorney Jeffrey Black said. It’s just a reference to the name of the store where the $172,855 winning Twenty 20′s ticket was purchased.
As you might expect, there are several “lucky” trusts: The Lucky Duckling, Lucky Duck, Lucky Forty Eight, Luck 13, Lucky Fin and Lucky Lottery.
Winners also are appreciative of their windfall. That’s likely the reason behind The Thankful Trust Passive Trust, The Ticket to Security Trust and The Mood Swing Trust.
Of course, your mood would likely swing, too, if you won $1 million from Powerball.
Not all trusts have interesting names. Some are just plain boring such as the The Lottery Ticket Mega Millions Game Trust and The December 2017 Trust.
READ MORE: Beacon Journal
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