Shopper returns orange juice, walks away with $315 million win
Published on 5 August 2024
In a surprising twist of fate, Tayeb Souami, a 56-year-old accountant and father of two from Little Ferry, New Jersey, became an overnight millionaire after winning a staggering $315 million Powerball jackpot in May 2018.
The story began when Souami, who was trying to be cautious with his spending as he had recently refinanced his home to pay for his children's college tuition, returned a carton of expensive orange juice to a local store. Little did he know that this simple act would lead him to a life-changing event.
Souami bought two lottery tickets with the money he received as a refund. On 19 May, 2018, he checked his tickets at a 7-Eleven store, where the cashier scanned them and confirmed that he had won a significant amount. Initially, Souami was unsure about the validity of his winning ticket, but the excitement soon set in when he realised he had won a nine-figure lottery prize.
After the win, Souami held a press conference, where he jokingly mentioned that he would buy more orange juice due to his win. His priority with the winnings, however, was to support his children's education. Souami, who was an accountant for a food importer at the time, opted to take the lump sum payment option instead of annuity payments for the jackpot.
Details about what happened afterward are limited, but it is noted that he claimed the jackpot before New Jersey changed the law regarding lottery winners' anonymity, meaning he was publicly identified as the winner. No further verified information about his personal life changes, financial or otherwise, after winning is provided in these results.
Tayeb Souami, a married father-of-two, has become a symbol of luck and perseverance. His story serves as a reminder that sometimes, the smallest actions can lead to the most significant rewards.
Souami, now a symbol of luck and perseverance, decided to use his newfound wealth in personal-finance management, prioritizing his children's education. Despite his sudden finance windfall, he opted for the lump sum payment instead of annuity payments for the Powerball jackpot.
