Lottery winner blows $15.5m on booze, prostitutes

Lottery winner blows $15.5m on booze, prostitutes

Nine years after winning a whopping £9.7 million ($15.5 million), Michael Carroll is back at square one after wasting his money on wild parties, cocaine, prostitutes, cars and jewellery.

The Norfolk man is an alcoholic who now earns £75 a day as a painter and decorator, according to media reports.

His lawyer, Ian Graham, said Carroll wanted to be left alone after being "targeted by so many undesirable people".

"Nine years after he famously turned up to collect his (Lotto) winnings wearing an electronic tag, the 27-year-old was in court again for breaching a community order for drink driving," the Daily Mail reported.

Carroll was spared jail in September after he was caught driving his car while nearly four times over the drink-driving limit.

"He was given a 16-week prison sentence, suspended for a year, 120 hours unpaid work and ordered to attend probation appointments and an alcohol program," The Mail said.
Carroll told the court that no one had given him a chance in the past two years.

"When this job as a painter and decorator came along, I just had to take it," he said.

Carroll said he had been trying to get back on his feet, and if he had gone to prison he would have lost his job.

"Carroll, who has a string of criminal convictions, frittered away almost his entire fortune on wild parties, cocaine, prostitutes, luxury cars, chunky gold jewellery and cash hand-outs to hangers-on," The Mail said.

"He made the lives of neighbours a misery by buying a three acre field to stage demolition derbies in old banger cars behind his former home in Swaffham, Norfolk.

"The field was left littered with the remains of dozens of his crashed and burned-out cars.

"At one stage his antics became so bad that council officials set up a hotline for neighbours to report disturbances he was involved in."

Carroll was forced to sell his dream home for a £600,000 loss last August after wrecking it and moved to Downham Market.

"Carroll started working as a painter after going on the dole and being told he could not get back his old £200-a-week job back as a dustman," The Mail said.

"He has had a string of court appearances for motoring offences and other crimes since his big win.

"Carroll was jailed for five months in 2004 after failing to comply with a drug treatment order imposed as part of a sentence for cocaine possession.

"He was also given an Asbo (Anti Social Behaviour Order) in 2005 for catapulting ballbearings at cars and windows from his Mercedes.

"Carroll then vowed to turn over a new leaf - but in February 2006 he was jailed for nine months for running amok with a bat at a Christian rock concert."

Man wastes $15.5m on booze, prostitutes

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Originally Posted by littleroundman

Lottery winner blows $15.5m on booze, prostitutes

Nine years after winning a whopping £9.7 million ($15.5 million), Michael Carroll is back at square one after wasting his money on wild parties, cocaine, prostitutes, cars and jewellery.

The Norfolk man is an alcoholic who now earns £75 a day as a painter and decorator, according to media reports.

His lawyer, Ian Graham, said Carroll wanted to be left alone after being "targeted by so many undesirable people".

"Nine years after he famously turned up to collect his (Lotto) winnings wearing an electronic tag, the 27-year-old was in court again for breaching a community order for drink driving," the Daily Mail reported.

Carroll was spared jail in September after he was caught driving his car while nearly four times over the drink-driving limit.

"He was given a 16-week prison sentence, suspended for a year, 120 hours unpaid work and ordered to attend probation appointments and an alcohol program," The Mail said.
Carroll told the court that no one had given him a chance in the past two years.

"When this job as a painter and decorator came along, I just had to take it," he said.

Carroll said he had been trying to get back on his feet, and if he had gone to prison he would have lost his job.

"Carroll, who has a string of criminal convictions, frittered away almost his entire fortune on wild parties, cocaine, prostitutes, luxury cars, chunky gold jewellery and cash hand-outs to hangers-on," The Mail said.

"He made the lives of neighbours a misery by buying a three acre field to stage demolition derbies in old banger cars behind his former home in Swaffham, Norfolk.

"The field was left littered with the remains of dozens of his crashed and burned-out cars.

"At one stage his antics became so bad that council officials set up a hotline for neighbours to report disturbances he was involved in."

Carroll was forced to sell his dream home for a £600,000 loss last August after wrecking it and moved to Downham Market.

"Carroll started working as a painter after going on the dole and being told he could not get back his old £200-a-week job back as a dustman," The Mail said.

"He has had a string of court appearances for motoring offences and other crimes since his big win.

"Carroll was jailed for five months in 2004 after failing to comply with a drug treatment order imposed as part of a sentence for cocaine possession.

"He was also given an Asbo (Anti Social Behaviour Order) in 2005 for catapulting ballbearings at cars and windows from his Mercedes.

"Carroll then vowed to turn over a new leaf - but in February 2006 he was jailed for nine months for running amok with a bat at a Christian rock concert."

Man wastes $15.5m on booze, prostitutes

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Now that's money management at it's finest...!

These stories really disturb me and he's not unique. Many lotto winners have blown through their money and have nothing left to show for it. It just goes to show how irresponsible, selfish and unhumanitarian a lot of people are. I don't play the lotto myself, but I never understood why you never ever hear of lotto winners doing something philanthropic with their winnings. After you have a nice, comfortable home that is paid off, an emergency fund, a decent but sensible car, health insurance and your bills paid and enough to live on for the rest of your life (you can live very well just off the interest), I can think of a million and one things that someone could do to make the lives of others better. Whether it's buying medical equipment for a hospital specializing in cancer teatments, electric wheelchairs for quadriplegics and paraplegics, medicines for the elderly on fixed incomes, a food bank, the latest artificial limbs for those in need (especially children and vets), programs for parents of special needs children who cannot afford them, and a million other ideas. You only need so much money to live well and comfortably and you don't need ten cars and ten homes and ten people waiting on you. You can be free of "work", travel, have a great life and relax and still do so much to benefit hundreds if not thousands of others on this planet. This story just makes me sad. It's such a complete waste of resources. This fool had the potential (whch most of us will never have) to do something wonderful on a grand scale not just for himself, but for others.

One of the nicest guys I ever knew (he has since passed) dressed a little shabbily and drove an old ordinary car. An old Caddy actually. He lived in a nice, but small and modest home. He had no extravagant tastes. He did take one trip to Africa every year because he loved the animals there, donated monies to the various reserves there and was into photography. His blown up/framed photos still grace the halls of his former workplace today. He volunteered his time to several causes. He was a very ordinary looking, speaking and appearanced guy. You would have never known that he had a nickle. I'd see him in an old cardigan and casual pants and tennies and a plaid shirt just hanging and being one of the guys. Yet he was a multimillionaire, many times over. He was George Hoag of Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach. His family built the hospital and he kept expanding it and it's programs and facilties, buying more land and equipment. He has attracted some of the finest specialists in the country to Hoag. He had and still has several programs available to anyone who had no insurance and no money to come there and get the best of care and treatments. He donated to so many programs for children, the elderly, animals, you name it. The motto of the non-profit set up by his Mom and Dad (George senior and Grace) and by George in 1940 is "committed to making a positive difference in the communities it serves by improving social conditions, promoting human welfare and alleviating pain and suffering." The foundation benefits California residents through funding healthcare programs, social service programs, and youth-oriented organizations.

He was one of the most humble and common and ordinary men that I have ever had the pleasure to have known in my entire life. He always grumbled when he had to put on a suit for some special function. He was on the Board of Directors for the City of Hope and the Boy Scouts of America. He started an organization to provide quality wigs to women who could not afford them and were undergoing chemo therapy for breast cancer. Every employee, no matter what their position, was visited and treated with great love and respect by George in the 40 years that he spent there. He truly valued and nutured every single one of them. He was so loved, that just typing about him, brings tears to my eyes. He never wanted anything for his birthday or for Christmas. But he always had a huge Christmas party with gifts for needy children every year and a visit form Santa Claus. He touched and improved the lives of thousands of people. I have never known a man more kind, more gentle and more genuine. I think of and remember my dear friend George (whom I first met at a charity event) and then I think of this idiot in the article and I just shake my head.

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Originally Posted by laidback

Now that's money management at it's finest...!

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Here in Australia they did a study of lotto winners and where they were years after winning the $$...
In general terms what they found was that those who had money b4 the big win still had money whilst those who were living day by day b4 the win had blown most of it on BS....

Which only goes to prove that money can buy you lots of things, but not necessarily "class" or "smart"

As them thar Texans would say, they ended up Big Hat and No Cattle. :Fiddler:

If I won a large sum of money in the millions, first thing I would do is pay off all my families bills. Second I would start a business of some sort. Third I would set up a scholarship fund to help those who need a little extra money to further their education. I would want to be productive with the money and make a difference in peoples lives.

I would not tell anyone except for family, and I would never tell the amount I won. I would say to them I won some money and I'm in a position to help.

ALA is smart enough to not play the lotto, as the odds are so high that it is very improbable that one would win. I myself do play, but I do not buy many tickets, one to five tickets. I do not buy twenty or a hundred dollars in tickets like I see some do. So yes I throw some some money down the drain, but I am not obsessed with playing the lotto.

The thing is, it is frustrating to say the least when a person wins a fortune and blows it like this guy did. He could of been set for life and now is back to where he started.

Maybe this guys poor spending decisions explain why the too big to fail, failed and needed bailouts by the American people. Just what are they spending their, I mean our money on? Let me guess...............

$340,000 Scratch-It theft pays $50 - and jail

Feb 25, 2011 6:49am
A COMPULSIVE gambler who spent more than $340,000 of her firm's money on Scratch-Its tickets had a biggest single return of only $50, a court heard.

The District Court in Brisbane was told Emma Renaye Pearse was so remorseful for stealing the money, she sold her house and car and arranged a personal loan to repay the $342,445 she had defrauded from her boss.

However, Judge Tony Rafter, SC, said that despite the substantial mitigating circumstances he had no choice but to impose a deterrent sentence of five years jail to be suspended after 14 months.

Judge Rafter noted he could find no other fraud by employee cases where full restitution of such size had been made.

Barrister Vanessa Martinovic, for Pearse, said her client, a former state-level soccer player, was very stressed and started buying a handful of Scratch-Its tickets on the way to work each morning.

Gradually the habit became an addiction and Pearse bought thousands and thousands of the tickets.

Ms Martinovic tendered to the court a report by psychologist Ian Lynagh who had diagnosed Pearse as being a pathological gambler with a compulsive obsessive disorder.
Judge Rafter noted that, according to the report, "the biggest single win she had was $50?"

Ms Martinovic confirmed that while it would be expected Pearse would have had bigger wins, she was told the biggest windfall was only $50.

She said Pearse had sold her home and now lived in a granny flat under her parents' house.

Pearse, 32, pleaded guilty to defrauding $342,445 as an employee of C.J. and J. L. Fletcher Pty Ltd between August 1, 2005, and October 8, 2009.

Prosecutor Megan Heywood said a man named Colin Fletcher had taken over a mechanical workshop and spare parts business in Brisbane in 2005. Pearse was retained as the bookkeeper in charge of wide-ranging financial responsibilities within the company.

Ms Heywood detailed how, over a period of four years and two months, Pearse would add $1000 to legitimate creditors bills and transfer the $1000 to her own account. In all there were 312 fraudulent transactions and Pearse also stole a small amount of cash.

Ms Heywood said Pearse was caught when the firm's boss noticed some small amounts of cash were missing and called in an auditor.

http://mybiz.optus.com.au/news/top/courier-mail/340-000-scratch-it-theft-pays-50-and-jail/307042