"I have not seen the ticket, nor do I want to see the ticket," said attorney Edward Smith, right, as Marlinde Wilson stood behind him. (WTTG)
Maryland’s Mega Millions mystery survived another bizarre day, as the state’s lottery director patiently answered every question posed by the assembled media except the burning one: Does the single mother of seven who works at McDonald’s hold a ticket worth $105 million after taxes?
"It certainly has been an interesting and exciting last week,” lottery director Stephen Martino said, before pledging to try to “separate fact from fiction.”
“To be clear, no one has approached the Maryland Lottery to claim this ticket,” he continued. “We have not heard from anyone claiming to have the ticket.”
Martino had advice for the winner, including to get a lawyer and an accountant, sign the back and keep it in a safe place. But he sounded as eager as everyone else to get the big answer.
“We look forward to the day when the winner comes forward and we get an opportunity to meet them and hear their story,” Martino said.
On Tuesday, Marline Wilson, 37, stood silently behind her attorney as he refused to confirm or deny claims Wilson had made to the New York Post that she had the winning ticket. Making Wilson’s tale all the more bizarre were the fact that 15 of her co-workers believe she is trying to cut them out of a ticket she bought for their pool and her claim that she’d hidden the winning ticket somewhere in the Baltimore-area fast food joint.
"I have not seen the ticket, nor do I want to see the ticket," said attorney Edward Smith. "We believe it to be a legitimate claim. When it is time to present the ticket or whatever it is that needs to be presented to the lottery commissioner, I am sure that we will be there."
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