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Washington DC Powerball player sues for $320million windfall claiming he was unfairly denied prize money despite having numbers shown on website because they didn’t match what was drawn on TV

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Washington DC Powerball player sues for 0million windfall claiming he was unfairly denied prize money despite having numbers shown on website because they didn’t match what was drawn on TV


A Washington, D.C., man has sued Powerball for $340million after he claimed he was unfairly denied prize money despite having the winning numbers that were displayed on the website. 

John Cheeks purchased a Powerball ticket on January 6, 2023, and chose his numbers based on his family members’ birthdays. 

He missed watching the live drawing the following day, but discovered on January 8 that his numbers matched what he found on the D.C. lottery website and saw the whopping $320million prize. 

‘I got a little excited, but I didn’t shout, I didn’t scream. I just politely called a friend. I took a picture as he recommended, and that was it. I went to sleep,’ Cheeks told News4. 

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He soon realized  the numbers on the website and ticket did not match the numbers that were drawn on TV, even though his numbers were displayed online for three days, the lawsuit claimed. 

According to the filing, the lottery contractor, Taoti Enterprises, made a ‘mistake’ and posted the wrong winning numbers on the website. 

John Cheeks has filed a lawsuit against Powerball after he thought he won a $320million jackpot in January 2023

Cheeks said he checked his numbers on the D.C. Lottery website on January 8 (pictured), when he discovered that his numbers matched for the $320million prize

Cheeks said he checked his numbers on the D.C. Lottery website on January 8 (pictured), when he discovered that his numbers matched for the $320million prize 

Cheeks’ lawsuit has requested that Powerball pay him the winnings from the ticket he thought he held, plus an additional $72,000 per day of interest payments ‘due for failure to pay.’ 

The amount equals roughly $340million.  

Cheeks said he didn’t rush to claim his prize as he was busy with his job. He is working on creating a home trust bank that would provide individuals with loans who don’t qualify for traditional mortgages. 

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‘The crisis of the homeownership situation here in the District, Virginia and Maryland,’ he said. 

‘Tent cities over at the State Department. Tent cities at Union Station.’

According to the legal documents, Cheeks discovered his fortune was threatened after he went to a licensed lottery retailer and his prize was denied. 

He then moved on to the D.C. Office of Lottery and Gaming prize center, where he received another denial and a request from a claims officer. 

Cheeks said the officer told him his ticket was not valid and that he should ‘just throw it in the trash can.’ 

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‘And I gave him a stern look. I said, “In the trash can?”‘ He then recalled the officer confirmed that he should throw the ticket away and said: ‘You’re not gonna get paid.’ 

Cheeks said he chose his numbers based off of family members' birthdays. The physical lottery ticket that he bought on January 6 is seen along with a denial when he checked his numbers

Cheeks said he chose his numbers based off of family members’ birthdays. The physical lottery ticket that he bought on January 6 is seen along with a denial when he checked his numbers

He soon realized the numbers on the website and ticket did not match the numbers that were drawn on TV, even though his numbers were displayed online for three days

He soon realized the numbers on the website and ticket did not match the numbers that were drawn on TV, even though his numbers were displayed online for three days

Cheeks was told that he should throw the ticket out, but instead, he kept it and hired his lawyer, Richard Evans (pictured)

Cheeks was told that he should throw the ticket out, but instead, he kept it and hired his lawyer, Richard Evans (pictured) 

Against the officer’s orders, Cheeks kept the ticket and stored it in a safe deposit box before he reached out to a lawyer for help. 

‘They have said that one of their contractors made a mistake. I haven’t seen the evidence to support that yet,’ Cheek’s lawyer, Richard Evans, told News4. 

‘Even if a mistake was made, the question becomes: “What do you do about that?”‘ he said, before adding a similar case occurred in Iowa, and that the contractor paid the winnings out to the plaintiff. 

DailyMail.com contacted Powerball and Taoti Enterprises but did not hear back. 

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Taoti Enterprises previously replied to News4 request for comment and said that a response would be coming. The other organizations told the outlet that they cannot comment on ongoing lawsuits. 

The jackpot that Cheeks thought was his eventually grew to $754.6million and a ticketholder won the prize on February 6. 

According to U.S. News, the odds of winning the Powerball is about one in 292.2million, and the chances of winning the Mega Millions jackpot is about one in 302.6million.   



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Washington, D.C

100 mph driver found not guilty of murder in deadly Rock Creek Parkway crash

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100 mph driver found not guilty of murder in deadly Rock Creek Parkway crash


A driver who fled a traffic stop on D.C.’s Rock Creek Parkway and crashed into a Lyft car, killing all three men inside in 2023, was found not guilty of second-degree murder.

Nakita Walker was found guilty on Monday morning of three counts of involuntary manslaughter, fleeing a law enforcement officer and assault with a dangerous weapon.

Walker was driving 100 mph when she crashed into a Honda at about 1:30 a.m. March 15, 2023, an expert witness testified.

The crash victims were Mohamed Kamara, 42; Olvin Torres Velasquez, 22; and Jonathan Cabrera Mendez, 23. Kamara was driving for Lyft to send money home to his family in Sierra Leone. His two passengers were on their way home to Arlington after a night out in D.C.

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Walker had no visible reaction in court as the verdict was announced. The victims’ families were not in the courtroom.

News4 has covered the crash since it happened and the court case since Walker was charged with murder.

Walker pleaded not guilty to three counts of second-degree murder. She was accused of being drunk behind the wheel and had three previous DUI convictions.

Nakita Walker was traveling 100 miles per hour on Rock Creek Parkway for 10 seconds before the March 2023 crash that claimed the lives of three men, according to new testimony from the District’s chief medical examiner. News4’s Paul Wagner reports.

‘Is there a reason you’re driving like 80 miles an hour?’

Police body camera video shows the moments before and after the tragedy. An officer pulled over Walker near the Kennedy Center and asked why she was speeding.

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“Is there a reason you’re driving like 80 miles an hour, blowing red lights?” an officer asks.

Walker was behind the wheel and Donnell Thomas, who was not charged, was in the passenger seat, prosecutors said. Walker told the officer she was rushing to get home to her son, who she said was 10 years old and alone.

Thomas can be seen on video pouring out of the window what was revealed in testimony to be liquor out of a cup before the officer noticed what appeared to be marijuana in his pocket. The officer informed him he couldn’t have marijuana on federal property and confiscated it.

A few seconds later, the video shows Walker speed off.

A short time after Walker fled the traffic stop, she slammed into the Lyft car, killing all three men inside.

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A U.S. Park Police officer’s body camera showed him arriving at the crash scene. Walker is seen on the ground.

Body camera video from a D.C. officer responding to the crash captured the moment he realized all three men were dead.

Prosecutors said Walker had a blood alcohol content of 0.10, which is 0.02 above the legal limit.

Thomas testified under a grant of immunity, saying he had been concerned with Walker’s behavior that night. Thomas told the court he told Walker at least twice that he should drive but she insisted.

On the witness stand, Thomas testified that Walker sped off because the officer was harassing him for having liquor in a cup and marijuana in his pocket.

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Thomas testified that he pulled Walker out of the car after the crash. A man who came upon the crash scene before police arrived testified that he pulled her out.

The D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles and D.C. Superior Court are pointing fingers to explain why the license of a woman with three prior DUIs was not suspended at the time she allegedly caused a deadly wrong-way crash. News4’s Paul Wagner reports.

D.C.’s chief medical examiner told jurors the men all died of multiple blunt force trauma injuries. As the jury was shown autopsy photos of the victims, Walker never looked up from her seat at the defense table.

Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.

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US Secret Service investigates reports of gunfire near White House

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US Secret Service investigates reports of gunfire near White House


Officers responded to reports of gunfire in the area around Washington DC’s Lafayette Park just after midnight local time (04:00 GMT) and conducted a search of the park, just north of the president’s residence, and the surrounding area, the agency said.



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Secret Service investigating overnight gunfire near White House

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Secret Service investigating overnight gunfire near White House


Washington — The Secret Service said it is investigating overnight gunfire near the White House on Sunday.

Officers responded shortly after midnight on Sunday to reports of gunfire in the vicinity of Lafayette Park, the Secret Service said in a statement. No injuries were reported, according to the statement, and a search of the park and surrounding area was conducted. A suspect was not located. 

Lafayette Park is located directly north of the White House. 

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President Trump is in Washington and is hosting a family Easter dinner at the White House on Sunday. White House operations remain normal, though a heightened security posture is in place, the Secret Service said. 

Road closures were initially in effect adjacent to the park. Chief of Communications for the Secret Service Anthony Guglielmi said in a post on X after 8 a.m. that the closures had been lifted. 

The investigation remained active Sunday morning. The Secret Service said it’s seeking a possible vehicle and a person of interest, while coordinating with U.S. Park Police and Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department. 

Officials encouraged members of the public with information to call D.C. Police at 202-727-9099 or text 50411.

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