A POWERBALL winner who scored a multi-million dollar prize has spent over three decades in and out of jail.
James Shannon Farthing, aged 50, claimed Kentucky’s largest lottery prize, taking home a $167.3 million jackpot, only to be arrested shortly thereafter in Florida.
Farthing has spent 30 years living behind bars at 25 different correctional facilities, The Smoking Gun reported.
The winner, who has a criminal record, secured the jackpot by buying a $2 lottery ticket from a convenience store close to his residence, where he lives with his 77-year-old mother, Linda Grizzle.
Just days following his substantial win, Farthing chose to head to Florida with his girlfriend, neglecting to confirm with his parole officer whether the trip was permitted.
Only one day into the vacation, Farthing allegedly got into an altercation with another guest at the TradeWinds Resort in St. Pete Beach.
During the altercation, the guest accused Farthing of punching them in the face.
When a cop tried to break the fight up, the lottery winner allegedly kicked the officer in the face.
Deputy Nicholas Areostatico wrote that Farthing “attempted to flee on foot out of the hotel.”
Areostatico, whom Farthing allegedly kicked, described facial pain and swelling under his eye.
Following the encounter, Farthing was booked for battery on a law enforcement officer, a felony, and misdemeanor counts of resisting police and battery.
A fugitive warrant was also issued for the individual, as he had violated his parole without obtaining travel permission.
Farthing was released on a $11,000 bond from the Florida case after he pleaded not guilty and is scheduled for an arraignment on July 14.
LENGTHY RAP SHEET
Farthing has a 16-page rap sheet that includes a number of drug and assault convictions.
The Kentucky man has been convicted of strangling a previous girlfriend, selling cocaine to an undercover police informant, escaping from a prison work detail, and bribing a corrections officer to deliver Xanax and Oxycodone into a state facility.
Farthing was also convicted of possessing stolen firearms and working with his mother in a marijuana smuggling plot.
Top lottery winners in the US
Millions dream of winning the lottery and finding fame and fortune. These are the biggest winners in US lottery history.
- Edwin Castro – $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 8, 2022, in California.
- Theodorus Struyck – $1.765 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, in California.
- Unknown winner – $1.602 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, in Florida.
- Marvin and Mae Acosta from Los Angeles, California, John and Lisa Robinson from Munford, Tennessee, and Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt from Melbourne Beach, Florida – $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016.
- Unknown winner – $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, from South Carolina.
- Unknown winner – he sued the mother of his child to keep his identity hidden – $1.348 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, from Maine.
- Unknown winner – $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, from Illinois.
- Cheng and Duanpen Saephan, and Laiza Liem Chao – $1.326 billion, Powerball, April 7, 2024, from Oregon.
- Rosemary Casarotti – $1.22 billion, Mega Millions, December 27 2024, from California
- Unknown winner – $1.13 billion, Mega Millions, March 26, from New Jersey
In return for his guilty plea, the charges were dropped against his mother
While in prison, he continued to break the law as he racked up a record of assaults, narcotics possession, loansharking, gambling, drug smuggling, and positive tests for alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, and depressants.
Farthing was also written up for having an inappropriate relationship with a female canteen staffer and for charging inmates for returning stolen items.
During his time in prison, Farthing bribed an officer to smuggle in packages containing tobacco, pot, painkillers, and more than 300 Xanax pills
His criminal history began during his teen years when he was convicted of theft, criminal mischief, reckless driving, and receiving stolen property.
The lottery winner only completed 10 years of school and got his GED in state prison.
