SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - A grandmother who only had one dollar left in her wallet and an overdrawn account has been named as the winner of the state's $23 million dollar lottery jackpot.
Grandmother Julie Cervera's ticket had all five of the winning numbers. It was a close call for her, who almost missed the deadline for claiming the prize.
Julie's daughter purchased her mom a lottery ticket in Palmdale in May. She forgot about it and put it in the car's center console. It wasn't until a surveillance photo was published in a newspaper, showing Julie's daughter leaving the store with the winning ticket, that they realized they had won.
Julie is a widow with several adopted kids, including two with special needs. She recently had her cable shut off. They decided to choose the cash option, which gives them more than $17 million dollars.
Her first item that she says she is going to buy is a pair of Reeboks.
