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Michigan Auto Worker Roars Away with $42 Million in Mega Millions

While the auto industry in Detroit might be having some cash flow problems these days the same can’t be said for Chrysler service engineer Chris Crane, who won $42 million playing Mega Millions in last Friday’s game.

The winning numbers were 13,28,32,41,52 and a Mega Ball 16.

So happy was Crane that he vowed to retire from Chrysler (“within weeks”) and become a pecan farmer in Georgia.

“I always wanted to do a little bit of farming,” Crane told Michigan Lottery officials. He has some property in Georgia. “This will be my chance,” he said.

Crane’s wife, Tina, an X-ray technician, also plans to retire. Her dream is to start a horse ranch for disabled children.

With the stock market as unsteady as it is these days, the Cranes opted to get the winnings over time rather than taking a lump-sum cash payment. This is unusual. Most big winners take the cash.

The first payment is $1.65 million before taxes followed by annual pretax payments of $1.61 million for 25 years. The lump sum would have been $26.3 million, before taxes.

Crane said his first purchase will be a Chrysler Town & Country minivan for Tina because that is “what she wants.” He wants a red Challenger, the new retro-style muscle car created by Dodge.

He has played the same Mega Millions numbers regularly for a couple years, spending $20 twice a week on lottery tickets.

He found out he hit it big after returning home Saturday from a garage sale. He said he got on the Internet, saw the lottery numbers matched and saw the match.

He woke up his wife, who works the all-night shift.

“She looked at me and said, ‘Mister, this better not be a joke.”‘

Crane is the eighth Michigan winner since the 12-state game began in 2002. The jackpot is Michigan’s sixth-largest.

In the Money:

No one won last night’s Mega Millions jackpot, so Tuesday’s game will be worth $23 million. Friday’s wining numbers were 14,15,43,46,48 and the Mega Ball was 21. Two winning tickets, in California and New Jersey, matched five balls, but not the Mega Ball, and won $250,000 each.

Tonight’s Powerball jackpot is $20 million.

Good luck.

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TOP FIVE POWERBALL JACKPOTS, all time

1. $365,000,000 , Feb. 18, 2006,
ConAgra Foods Co-Workers, Nebraska
2. $340,000,000, Oct. 19, 2005,
Steve & Carolyn West and Bob & Francis Cheney, Oregon
3. $314,924,354, Dec. 25, 2002,
Jack Whittaker, Scotts Depot, West Virginia
4. $314,305,920, Aug. 25, 2007,
Coterel & Hiles Family, Indiana
5. $295,700,932 , July 29, 1998,
The Lucky 13, Columbus, Ohio

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