Life has been a rollercoaster for a penniless parking attendant who went from having just 78 cents in his account, to winning $149 million before his wife told him she was divorcing him just days later.
Juan Rodriguez had just 78 cents in his savings account and owed $44,000 to creditors when he purchased a lottery ticket at a store near the midtown Manhattan parking garage where he worked as an attendant.
The 49-year-old, of Queens, New York, spent $1 on the state Mega Millions ticket on a break in the middle of a double shift at his $28,000-a-year job . He made the purchase about one month after filing for bankruptcy, owing thousands on credit cards and to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Court filings in his bankruptcy hearing showed he had nothing in his checking account, 78 cents in his savings account, a debt of $19,486 on one credit card, $10,070 on another and he owed $2,279 to the IRS.
However, luck seemed to be on Juan’s side, as he won the $149 million jackpot. The Associated Press reported in 2004 that he wore dark glasses at a news conference to mark his win, telling reporters he was “excited” with his win. Asked what he planned to do with his millions, he said, “I have no idea.”
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Standing beside Juan at the news appearance was his wife Iris. The couple had been married for 17 years and had an 18-year-old daughter, but had been fighting over money before Jorge’s big win, the New York Post reported .
Iris had broken up with Juan after a fight over his financial woes but the pair had reconciled shortly before he became a multi-millionaire. However, Jorge’s newfound wealth did not help reconcile the pair, with Iris filing for a divorce just 10 days after learning of his lottery win.
As the pair had been together for almost 20 years she was entitled to a large chunk of his fortune, which came to around $60 million after taxes as he chose to take the winnings as a lump sum.
The pair both quit their jobs and hired lawyers to haggle over the massive fortune into 2005, as their daughter Kitty prepared to have their first grandchild. Reports of what happened after the first trial date, at which they were given $2 million each while lawyers fought over the rest which was being held in a special account awaiting the outcome of the divorce, is unknown. But experts at the time said it was highly likely Iris could be awarded up to half the money, or $30 million.
But it is safe to say the money brought as many problems as solutions for Jorge. As well as his wife leaving him, friends told Rodriguez he should consider hiring bodyguards to protect his family back in Colombia, since they were now in grave danger of being kidnapped.
Even his financial troubles came back to haunt him, on hearing of his win the Justice Department filed a motion to dismiss his bankruptcy after writing him a letter stating: “It has come to our attention you have had a change in circumstances since you filed your bankruptcy petition.”
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