The previously anonymous winner of the record-setting $1.82 billion Powerball jackpot drawn on Christmas Eve has been identified as the younger brother of an Arkansas mayor who faced an assault investigation earlier this year.
Tracy Hartwick, brother of North Little Rock Mayor Terry Hartwick, claimed the second-largest Powerball jackpot ever awarded, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported Thursday. Terry Hartwick is currently serving his third term as mayor.
Tracy Hartwick bought the winning $30 quick play ticket for the Dec. 24, 2025, Powerball drawing at a Murphy USA gas station and convenience store in Cabot, Arkansas.
He added the Power Play option and purchased 10 number combinations, but the first line on his ticket was the only one he needed. It matched all six winning numbers: 4, 25, 31, 52, 59 and the Powerball 19.
When Hartwick came forward on Jan. 5 to claim the massive lottery prize, he initially remained anonymous and selected the lump-sum cash payout of $834.9 million.
Hartwick ultimately received $565 million, while $219 million was withheld for the IRS and the Arkansas Department of Finance.
His identity could be shielded for only six months because he is the sibling of an elected official, as outlined under Arkansas Act 889 of 2021.
Under the same law, Arkansas lottery winners who are not related to public office holders may keep their names confidential for up to three years.
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Hartwick’s other brother, Timothy, received 3 percent of the remaining $18.1 million, with a third, unidentified non-relative taking home the rest, according to the outlet.
Tracy Hartwick first served as mayor of North Little Rock from 1985 to 1988 before losing the Democratic primary, then became the CEO of the city’s chamber of commerce and later worked for the parks and recreation department, according to KATV.
He was reelected to office in 2020 and ran unopposed in 2024 to win his third term in City Hall.
Mayor Hartwick was accused of inappropriately touching two teenage girls after a high school choir Christmas performance, around the same time his brother won the lottery, according to KARK.
No charges were brought against the 77-year-old after investigators found no evidence supported bringing a criminal case against Hartwick.
“For any of the sexual offenses to apply, the State would have to present evidence that the contact was for the purpose of the Mayor’s sexual gratification. As with a charge under Harassment, the proof of this element is lacking, which is fatal to any prosecution under Sexual Assault 2nd [degree],” Arkansas Special Prosecutor Robbie Jones wrote in a letter back in April, the outlet reported.
During his first term in office, Hartwick was under investigation for accepting free vacations, trips to the World Series and Orange Bowl and being paid by contractors doing work in the city, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.
He also had an affair with a University of Arkansas majorette who was 16 years younger in 1986, making $800 worth of city-funded phone calls to her while he was still married, the outlet reported.
The mayor married the woman within a year of his first divorce, had a child together and later divorced, according to the outlet.
The mayor’s office did not comment on his brother’s lottery win, according to THV11.
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