[Sportschosun reporter Jang Jong-ho] The identity of the ultra-lucky winner who hit a U.S. lottery jackpot worth about 2.7 trillion won has become a hot topic.
It turned out to be the younger brother of a sitting mayor.
According to U.S. media outlets including THV11 and the New York Post, the winner of the $1.82 billion prize, or about 2.71 trillion won, in the Powerball drawing held on Dec. 24 last year was identified as Tracy Hartwick. He is the brother of Terry Hartwick, who is currently serving his third term as mayor of North Little Rock. The prize is the second-largest in U.S. lottery history.
Tracy Hartwick bought $30 worth of Powerball tickets at a gas station and convenience store in Cabot, Arkansas, on Christmas Eve last year. He chose the Power Play option and purchased 10 number combinations in total. His first combination matched all the winning numbers, 4, 25, 31, 52 and 59, as well as the Powerball number 19, making him the winner of the massive jackpot.
When he claimed the prize on Jan. 5 this year, he chose the lump-sum option and received about $834.9 million, or roughly 1.24 trillion won. After taxes were deducted, his actual payout came to about $565 million, or around 840 billion won, and about $219 million was reportedly paid in taxes to the Internal Revenue Service and Arkansas tax authorities.
His identity had remained undisclosed for about six months because of Arkansas rules protecting lottery winners' privacy. Under a state law enacted in 2021, the anonymity period is limited to a maximum of six months when the winner has a conflict of interest, such as being a public official or an immediate family member of one. For ordinary lottery winners, identities can remain confidential for up to three years.
Part of the winnings was also shared with others besides Tracy Hartwick. Another brother, Timothy Hartwick, received a portion, while the rest was reportedly claimed by a third party whose identity has not been disclosed.
Local broadcasters reported that Mayor Terry Hartwick's side did not issue a separate statement regarding the lottery win.
Reporter Jang Jong-ho bellho@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
