Florida Man In Assisted Living Squanders Lottery Winnings

It’s every scratch card lottery player’s dream — seeing those matching numbers that mean big bucks. And that’s exactly what happened to Florida resident Malcolm Ramsey, whose winning numbers added up to $500 a week, for life.

But Ramsey’s story hasn’t ended well. The 55-year-old, who lives in an assisted living facility and has been deemed mentally incompetent to care for himself, blew through nearly $300,000 of his winnings in only two months — at one point spending $1,500 for a taxi fare and $14,000 in cash checking fees. And then there was his family, who were given watches, new phones, cash gifts and car repairs.

So why did the state issue a man deemed incapable of caring for himself a check for more than $400,000? Susan Taylor Martin of the Tampa Bay Times talks to Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson about the story.

• Read Martin’s story, “Lottery winner’s lifetime of money gone in weeks”

Guest

• Susan Taylor Martin, senior correspondent for the Tampa Bay Times in St. Petersburg, Fla. She tweets @susanskate.

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