Connect

To Top

Marie Holmes was a single mother living in a trailer with her children and mother when her luck finally changed for the better. She had been working multiple minimum-wage jobs to make ends meet and provide for her children. One of her sons had special needs, and taking care of him was difficult and expensive.

According to Good Morning America, Marie was making breakfast at home one fateful morning when she saw the winning lottery numbers on Facebook. Buying that ticket had been a desperate attempt at turning her finances around, and Marie never genuinely hoped to win. Stunned and in disbelief, the first person she called was her mom.

Marie’s Mum Bought the Lottery Ticket

NC Powerball winner claims $188 million prize

Marie and her family never had much money to spare, but on one rare occasion she had some extra cash, she gave it to her mum to buy a lottery ticket. As reported by ABC America, her mother made the purchase on her way to church. When Marie appeared on “Iyanla Fix My Life,” was when the public discovered that their choice of ticket number wasn’t random.

Fontella, Marie’s mum, kept dreaming about her son, who had passed away. So she chose the numbers based on her late child’s birthday and the age he would have been if he were still alive.

Marie Deserved Her Lucky Break

Marie, who was 26 years old then, worked five jobs to keep up with the expenses of running a household and raising children. According to news outlets, she worked for McDonald’s, Subway, KFC, Foodlion, and Walmart. How she could handle that kind of workload is difficult to understand.

Working multiple jobs is not an ideal scenario, and it requires a person to remain highly organized. One way of coping with the immense workload is for the person to be perfect at time management. A planner with precise schedules laid out could be beneficial. Even so, the added responsibilities of motherhood meant Marie never got a break.

Marie Won One-Third of the Grand Prize

Having won $188 million, which was a third of the $564 million prize money in the total jackpot, Marie now had the option of taking the lump sum or taking the money in installments. Financial advisors advise against taking lottery cash in lump sums. They think it’s better if the winners take the winnings through the annuity plan. Taking the payments in an annuity means the winner will receive one sizeable compensation, then get more installments annually according to the schedule agreed upon with the state.

However, Marie opted for the lump sum. She took home the check, which after taxes and other deductions, totaled $87.9 million.

What Financial Advisors Think

Lottery winners rarely have experience managing large amounts of money. Usually, they need experts to help them plan and manage their newfound fortune. This is where financial advisors come in. It’s essential to remember that though it may be an exciting time, the first step is to remain calm and rational.

With the right management skills, such a windfall can be a life-altering event that can define the rest of the person’s life and those of their children. The next rational step should be to find a safe place to store the cash and avoid spending it for a few weeks to allow for proper planning.

A Well Thought Through Plan Is Important

After stashing the cash away somewhere safely, lottery winners can now think carefully without having the pressure to make fast decisions. Then, they can use the next few days to decide how best to utilize their newfound financial freedom.

Most people opt to pay off any pressing debts that they may have. Some will want to invest their winnings to ensure they will always have money. However, many financial experts advise against this. They argue that investments are too risky and may result in losing the entire fortune altogether. Therefore, they suggest spending cash carefully without wasting it on frivolous things is better.

Marie Had a Plan, and It Was Noble

Lucky for Marie, she already seemed to have a good head on her shoulders. She was a single mother working multiple jobs to stay afloat and was a regular churchgoer and ardent Christian. Everyone around her knew she would make the right decisions. When news outlets asked Marie what her plan was, she said that she intended to give some of her money to the church.

Following that, her next move would be to buy a house, set up college funds for her children, and start a foundation in her hometown to help those in need. Despite all this planning, Marie could’ve never known what life had planned for her.

Church Donations

Some churches demand 10 percent of all their parishioners’ income, as some scriptures support this practice and state that a tenth of one’s belongings belong to the church. And many institutions that are more stringent about the Bible’s teachings require their congregations to follow its teachings to the letter. However, some argue that these religious institutions are taking advantage of the poor.

Marie certainly felt the pressure, and one of the first things she did was donate some of her newfound wealth to her local church. Initially, she had planned to donate $18 million, which was the mandated 10 percent of the total win, but she only donated $700K.

The Beginning of Her Troubles

Kevin Mathews was a local pastor Marie met at her parish, Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church. Interestingly, it was after she had won the lottery that she became well acquainted with the preacher. The ordained minister claimed God had led him to Marie and her family.

During their discussions, Marie agreed that she would donate $1.5 million after the pastor claimed he would use the funds to build a retreat. Little did Marie know that this was the beginning of her troubles. Luckily, neither party put the agreement on paper; it was out of her innate generosity that Marie wanted to donate, not out of obligation.

Is It Mandatory To Tithe?

Some churches believe that tithing is mandatory. The act originates from the Old Testament after God freed the Israelites from Egyptian captivity. They would then wander in the desert for 40 long years while God gave their leader, Moses, laws that would help govern the people.

That was when the idea of giving back to God began. The concept would later grow into tithing. In the New Testament, giving back is also mentioned in the book of Paul. Some pastors take advantage of this law to benefit themselves. The Bible instructs Christians to give generously, consistently, and joyfully, but only within their capacity.

The Pastor Sues Marie Demanding $10 Million

However, Pastor Kevin believed that Marie had given her word to give him money to construct a sanctuary, and he wanted her to pay up. According to online sources, the preacher claimed Marie owed him $10 million. He was demanding that she pay back what he had spent on building the retreat.

He also claimed that the whole incident had caused him mental distress, and he was on depression and anxiety medication. In a surprising twist, when he came out publicly with intentions to sue Marie, people were outraged. His case never made it to court, and eventually, he abandoned all plans to pursue the matter.

Trouble at Home

The pastor was not Marie’s only concern. She had even worse problems waiting for her at home. When she won the lottery, her boyfriend, also the father of her youngest child, was in prison. So after Marie’s fortunes changed for the better, she decided to bail him out of jail.

Lamarr Mcdow, also known as “Hot Sauce,” had been imprisoned after being caught with 8,000 bags of heroin. Marie paid $3 million to have him released just a few weeks after her lottery win. However, he was soon behind bars again for violating the terms of his parole, and Marie came to his rescue again, paying $6 million this time.

“Hot Sauce” Didn’t Learn His Lesson

Yet, believe it or not, this wouldn’t be the last time Marie would get her boo out of trouble; McDow wasn’t done with his criminal ways. He had a long history of breaking the law, and some of the charges included assault, illicit substance dealing, and weapon possession.

Furthermore, he now had access to bail money and was becoming reckless and willfully breaking the law. The third time Marie bailed McDow out, he was charged with weapon possession by a felon and setting up an illegal street race. In total, the bail money that she wound up spending would come to an astonishing $21 million.

Marie Takes to Social Media To Defend McDow

It was obvious that McDow was taking advantage of Marie. Many news sites were now covering the story, and the public was becoming genuinely concerned about her. People were of the opinion that she could have used that money to help the needy instead of spending it on someone who didn’t deserve any help.

Marie took to social media and said that it was her money and she could spend it as she pleased. It was then McDow’s turn to defend his actions; he said that he and Marie were a couple, and as the father of her youngest child, it was okay for her to help him out.

Why Did Marie Keep Defending a Criminal?

It is hardly uncommon for people to defend toxic partners who are physically, verbally, or emotionally abusing them. Such men and women often target successful and strong people to use and manipulate, which seemed to be the case with Marie.

Even though they had been together before she won the lottery, McDow was taking advantage of the fact that she now had money. Most people stay in toxic relationships out of fear that they will not find someone else to love them. Marie was most likely in a similarly precarious position with McDow, where she felt obligated to help him.

Dealing With a Toxic Person

Dealing with a toxic family member can be financially and emotionally draining. Health experts have tips and advice about how we can overcome this challenge. The first step is limiting contact with this person as much as possible. Although that may be difficult because the person is family, doing so first thing is critical.

The next step is learning how to say no to the person. For instance, in Marie’s case, it was time to start refusing to bail her boyfriend out of jail because he had proven himself to be irresponsible time and time again. Instead, she should have let him do the jail time.

New Home

One of Marie’s aims was to buy a home that would be comfortable for her and her children, and she could now finally achieve this goal. Before winning the lottery, she lived in a cramped home with her mum and four children aged between nine months and seven years in Shallotte, North Carolina.

According to the Daily Mail, Marie purchased a $350K home in a gated community in Shallotte. And after being released from jail, McDow also came to live with her in the mansion. Before his incarceration, he had lived with her and her children in the jampacked trailer.

Nosy Neighbors

When Marie and McDow moved to a new neighborhood, they expected their lives to change for the better. However, there were challenges that came with moving from a trailer park to a gated community with mostly White neighbors. They now faced a new challenge; racism.

While being interviewed by the Daily Mail, McDow disclosed that one of their neighbors even set up a camera to watch their family’s every move. They would then wave him down on the road for the most trivial reasons, like driving slightly above the speed limit. This caused the couple a lot of discomfort and distress.

The Cheating Scandal

McDow hadn’t been the most reliable partner, and Marie was about to find out that he had been cheating on her. A video went viral on Facebook with a woman claiming to be McDow‘s girlfriend. In the footage, she alleges that he had been using money he had gotten from Marie to entertain other women.

This new development was devastating for Marie. Not only did she feel betrayed by the man she had trusted all her life, but she also felt embarrassed. She had stood by him and spent her cash to get him out of prison time and again, and he paid her back with treachery.

Marie Faces Criminal Charges of Her Own

Marie faced legal charges of her own when she allegedly made threatening phone calls to one of McDow‘s girlfriends. Lorna Marlowe filed harassment charges against the lotto winner on January 10, 2016. Marie was accused of calling Lorna and threatening to inflict bodily harm after finding out about her affair with McDow.

According to Lorna, McDow was a known philanderer who was not only having an affair with her but with several other women in the neighborhood. Marie was due to appear in court a few weeks later to answer these allegations, and failure to comply would mean getting charged with contempt of court.

Marie Decides To Seek Help on Iyanla Fix My Life

There are many reality television series out there, and some of them, like “Iyanla Fix My Life,” is formatted to help celebrities through personal problems. The show is hosted by Yoruba priestess Iyanla Vanzant, a life coach, and certified therapist.

Iyanla helps her guests break patterns that are causing them difficulties. She believes that people can make better choices to improve their lives with the correct guidance. The series first premiered in 2012 and ran for 11 seasons. Some of the topics handled on the show were toxic family members and bad relationship choices; sounds familiar? Marie had to go see Iyanla.

Iyanla Attempts To Help Marie

Marie was learning the hard way that money does not equate to happiness. Despite being a multi-millionaire, she was still plagued with troubles that even the poorest person must deal with. The first step in her healing, according to Iyanla, was to change her mindset about money.

The life coach explained that Marie needed to learn that wealth is a state of mind, not the amount of cash in one’s bank account. It was obvious that Marie’s poor choices were causing her the distress she was now facing, even as a millionaire. She needed to make some tough decisions to move forward with her life.

Iyanla Notices Some Odd Things About Maries New Home

The first thing Iyanla noticed about Marie’s new home was that it once used to be a plantation. She explained that perhaps she should consider moving to a new address because places carry energy. And the current residence was definitely not ideal for her and her family; its negative energy was weighing her and her family down.

The next unsettling aspect of Marie’s new home was its unkempt state. The entire place was disorganized, with dirt bikes everywhere, and even the pool was filthy. Iyanla told Marie that maintaining the large home required more than just money. It required maturity.

McDow Heads Back to Prison

McDow went back to prison for his illicit substance trafficking charges from 2014 and would serve seven years. His date of release is said to be 2023. His original charges were trafficking and the intent to manufacture and distribute illegal narcotics.

According to police reports, heroin traffickers get convicted 96.8% of the time. Trafficking is a serious offense that deserves an equally severe punishment. Illicit substance traffickers are plagued with permanent criminal records, which will affect them for the rest of their lives. Since McDow was a repeat offender with a previous criminal record, he will most likely serve his entire sentence.

Does Imprisonment Reform Criminals?

Being in prison strips away who a person is. It takes away that individual’s freedom while their every move is being watched and controlled. Everything is timed, meal times, playtime, and even going to the bathroom. However, modern-day imprisonment is an improvement from earlier forms of criminal penalties, which involved banishment, corporal punishment, penal bondage, or public humiliation.

In recent years, there have been debates on whether incarceration actually rehabilitates prisoners or whether there should be other forms of punishment for offenders. For instance, states like California have rebranded their prison systems, and they are now called the Corrections and Rehabilitation department.

Alternatives to Imprisonment

Life in prison can be inhumane, traumatic, and disruptive to an individual’s life. Sometimes, it leads to severe mental health issues such as depression. While in prison, inmates have to deal with loneliness, uncertainty, idleness, and the loss of self-worth. Former prisoners have a difficult time rejoining society due to being accustomed to prison culture.

In light of all this, some organizations aim to help change the justice system and ensure that those who leave prison can later become successful citizens. Some of the ways that prison reform can take place are by encouraging rehabilitation and community sanctions as opposed to serving time.

McDow Sues Marie From Prison

McDow and Marie weren’t done making headlines. Another development happened in 2016 when McDow went back to prison. While behind bars, he somehow found out that Marie had moved on to a new relationship and had given away all the gifts she had bought for him while they’d still been together.

These extravagant presents included a $250K modified Chevrolet Stingray, clothes and jewelry worth $100K, and an auto repair business that Marie had set up for him before their split. He had left Marie in charge of his property before going to prison, which meant she had the power to do whatever she wanted.

Case Dismissed

After winning the lottery, Marie purchased several homes, including the North Carolina abode that she was living in with McDow before he went back to prison. During their time together, Marie was generous enough to bail him out of jail and shower him with gifts, but everything she bought was in her name.

In her countermotion to have McDow’s case dismissed, she pointed out that nothing she ever bought McDow really belonged to him, and Marie had a right to give it to whoever she pleased now that they were no longer together. His case didn’t hold any water in a court of law then.

The Marie Holmes Foundation

Ever since that morning she saw her winning ticket number on Facebook, Marie’s life had been a roller coaster. But despite the drama and criticism she faced, Marie did manage to start a charitable foundation whose purpose is to help underprivileged children buy school supplies. She entrusted her aunt Carmel Wheaton with running the foundation and donated $9.7 million.

Such foundations are usually run with resources from a single source, such as an individual, a family, or an organization. And they are essential to American society due to their duty to help those in need. According to the country’s law, many of these types of organizations are also tax-exempt.

Where Is Marie Holmes Now

According to news sources, Marie has been a Washington state resident for a few years now and has managed to stay out of the headlines. Clearly, she has been doing something right. First off, breaking up with McDow and successfully setting up a foundation.

Obviously, her relationship with McDow was one of the main reasons she kept getting into trouble and making headlines for the wrong reason. Marie’s story can be a cautionary tale of the importance of having the right people around, even if you’re not a lottery winner. The people around us can have a lot of power over our decisions.

The Lottery Curse

Marie went through so much before she was finally able to find stability after the windfall of winning the PowerBall jackpot. Some have wondered if what she was experiencing was the lottery curse. After all, she isn’t the first lottery winner to be plagued by troubles and bad luck immediately after winning the big jackpot.

For instance, Andrew Whitaker was already wealthy when he won the 2002 Powerball. Like Marie, he chose the lump sum instead of the annuity plan. His win was also hugely publicized, which led to strangers robbing him once they discovered he had the habit of leaving large amounts of cash in his car.

More Lottery Winners and Their Downfall

In 1982, Curtis Sharp won the $5 million jackpot, which in those days was an unbelievably large amount of money. Curtis was just a dishwasher at a restaurant before he hit it big in the jackpot. When he won, he became a party animal and a hard drinker till his wife walked out on him.

Once his wife left, he began drinking even harder and spending all his money recklessly, going way above his annuity checks. He even had to borrow his cash from his first spouse. However, his story ended well, even after he lost all his money. Eventually, Curtis found God, changed his ways, and became a reverend.

A Lottery Winner Meets a Tragic End

The story of Abraham Shakespeare is one that ended in tragedy. He was a casual laborer when he won a $20 million jackpot from the Florida lottery, and he also chose the lump sum, which totaled $17 million. His troubles started almost immediately after he won when a friend sued him, claiming he stole the winning ticket from him.

However, Abraham’s worries soon escalated when he was plagued by hangers-on, friends, and family constantly asking for handouts. Eventually, he ended up hiring Dorice Moore to help him navigate his newfound wealth. In a twist no one saw coming, Moore killed Abraham and buried his body under a concrete slab.

What To Do After Winning the Lottery

Navigating a huge lottery win requires help from an expert and a solid support system. The best way to ensure troubles don’t befall the lottery winner is by staying anonymous. Obviously, it’s difficult to determine whether people genuinely want to be friends or if they are parasites who want to spend the winnings.

Skipping town for a few weeks or moving away entirely and starting afresh in a place where staying unknown is always possible. Also, securing the cash handout is essential. They can do this by creating a trust fund and a will to ensure the money passes on to the right people in case of the winner’s demise.