Winners of the New York Lottery's biggest jackpot used loopholes to remain anonymous

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo vetoed a bill that would have given lottery winners past incognito, but a group of recent winners found a loophole and decided to form an LLC to remain anonymous. (AP Photo / Seth Wenig)

Thanks 437 million, Andy!

The winners of the largest New York Lottery jackpot have pulled off the even more historic achievement of collecting their checks anonymously ̵[ads1]1; following Gov's advice. Andrew Cuomo.

The group of 23 Long Island employees scored Mega Millions & # 39; eye-watering $ 437 million New Year's Day pot, lottery officials revealed Tuesday.

But as so many winners before them, the lucky Long Islanders would not have their names out there for vultures, and hired local lawyer Eric Jaffe to help them out.

He learned that Cuomo had just vetoed a bill that would have made the lottery winners cognito – but had also mentioned a loophole.

"If a person wants to remain anonymous, the law already provides such a scenario," wrote Cuomo by nixing the law.

$ 1.5B MEGA MILLIONS WINNER HAS NOT CLAIMED PRICE, REPORT SEGER

"For 40 years, individuals who wish to keep their name and information out of the public have made LLCs to collect their winnings for them. "

Gouverneur's remark seemed like" an afterthought, "Jaffe The Post said – but they ran it and it worked.

"The trigger was Gov. Cuomo's specific statement that you could form an LLC," he said. "So it goes the language and some story [of other cases] they chose to form the LLC."

The winners claimed their New Life 2019 LLC award in January, and the moolah came through last week, he said. [19659005] Partners revealed as winners of the New York Lottery's biggest jackpot

They chose to pay a lump sum of $ 262,213,914 – $ 176,155,308 by state and federal item, or about $ 7.7 million per person.

Lottery officials – who prefer to trump their big winners with pictures and giant news controls – were "very nice" about the group staying under cover, Jaffe said.

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"It is not their preference – they are in PR business and they want your image to hold up the big check," he says. ] What Jaffe would reveal about the newly-admitted millionaires is that they all work for a retail in "Nassau to the west-end Suffolk" area with fewer than 50 employees "not a chain or a big store. "

The winners are" salt of the earth … working class people ", says Jaffe, and many plan to keep their jobs. 19659005]" No one acts crazy, they get good financial advice. There is a long history of lotto winners going bankrupt. They are afraid of it, he said.

"I know they will travel and pay mortgages, but no one will buy the Yankees."

A worker at the Brookville Auto Service Shop in Glen Head, where the winning ticket was sold, said it was purchased by a woman in her 60s who has come every Sunday for more than three years.

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"My boss told me I am selling the ticket. And I'm waiting for the day who wins back and tip me. Write it down, my friend , "said Niz Aydrogan, 53.

The store will receive $ 10,000 from the New York Lottery to sell the ticket.

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