Mega Millions Maryland Lawyer Not Sure if Client Has Ticket
A woman in Maryland who has been claiming to be the owner of one of the three winning Mega Millions lottery tickets has hired a lawyer, but has not yet produced the winning ticket.
Marlinde Wilson, 37, is a mother of seven who resides in Baltimore and claimed to have hidden the winning ticket in the McDonald's restaurant where she worked.
But as of Wednesday afternoon, lottery officials say that nobody has come forward with the winning ticket to claim one third of the $656 million multi-state payout.
Wilson hired Edward Smith Jr., to be her attorney during this process. The pair called a press conference on Wednesday, pleading with reporters to respect her privacy. During the press conference, Smith asked the press to "go home," because Wilson was experiencing medical issues due to the media pressure.
Wilson refused to answer any questions and sat behind her lawyer for the duration of the press conference. When asked about the ticket Smith stated that he had not seen it "nor do I wish to see it."
"I can't say with any certainty that this ticket exists. You never say that it's so until you've seen it with your own eyes," Smith added.
Smith did not offer any additional speculation if and when Wilson would produce the ticket in question to Maryland lottery officials, who must verify any claim through physical verification of the ticket.
Wilson's co-workers at the McDonalds are caught in limbo as they wait to see if she does indeed have the ticket and then if that ticket was part of the group tickets that were purchased.
"She could not have hidden any ticket here," one co-worker said. "She hasn't been back and she doesn't have any locker to hide it. She would not hide it in the bathroom or anything."