Members of the "Lucky Eight" win $276 million Powerball lotto

Members of the "Lucky Eight" say they've had very little time to think about what they will do with nearly $12 million each. The winners of the $276 million Powerball were introduced Tuesday at West Virginia Lottery Headquarters in Charleston.

All of the women work in the Monongalia County Sheriff's Tax Office in Morgantown. They contributed about $5 each late last week to purchase Powerball tickets. They had the only winning ticket in Saturday night's drawing.

"It is like a whirlwind," Crystal Magro said. "You don't know what's going on. It's all happening and you can't believe it's happening, I still don't."

Magro and her co-workers were given $1 million checks Tuesday by state Lottery Director John Musgrave. They will receive the balance of their winnings in a few weeks. They chose the cash option, which after taxes resulted in a $95.5 million prize fund.

Allecia Priore says she's had sleepless nights since finding out they had the winning numbers, but she says it's been exciting.

"It's been pretty chaotic and there are a lot of things to think about, which you are just starting to think about," she said.

Priore added she wants to make good investments and make sure her 7-year-old son's future is going to be fine. " I think it should be now," she said.

Worker Judy Gapen had a dream Thursday night that the group was going to win the lottery and West Virginia was going to win its Big East Tournament game against Georgetown.

"I went in and told them on Friday 'Something big is going to happen' they all laughed at me, but one thing did come out good and I'm glad it was this," Gapen told MetroNews.

Chief Tax Deputy Linda Fominko says everyone in the office had "a real good feeling" about the drawing, but she says no one believed her when she called late Saturday night.

Magro says it's a tradition for the group to touch their lottery tickets before a big drawing. She says they did that again on Friday.

"We all touched it, it's for good luck," Magro said.

The $276 million Powerball drawing is the second largest in state history. The payout results in a $9 million tax windfall for the state.

West Virginia has sold 13 Multistate Lottery jackpot tickets since it became a flagship state in 1988.


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