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Jury Decides On Lotto Winner

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By TODD LESKANIC, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 23, 2007

Abraham Shakespeare hasn't had much peace since winning a $36 million Lotto jackpot in November.

Besides the usual line of people asking for money, Shakespeare has had to fend off the claims of Michael Ford, a co-worker who accused him of stealing the winning ticket.

Ford, formerly of Zephyrhills, sued Shakespeare in November.

Shakespeare finally tasted vindication Friday, when a Polk County jury found the winnings belonged to him.

Now, maybe, he can find that peace.

'I want to be able to turn the phone completely off and not have to worry about any phone calls,' Shakespeare said Monday. 'My goal is to be able to wake up in the morning, get a fishing pole and go fish. Or go hunting. Or golfing. I ain't never golfed before.'

Ford, who has moved to Georgia, couldn't be reached for comment.

The wrangling began Nov. 15, when the men were paired together on a long-distance truck route.

Ford drove, and Shakespeare rode along to help him unload cargo at various fast food restaurants. They decided to stop at a convenience store on U.S. 27 in Frostproof. Ford went in and purchased two Quick Pick Lotto tickets.

The jurors had to decide what happened next.

Ford claimed he had put the tickets in his wallet, which he stowed inside a compartment in his truck. He claimed Shakespeare stole the tickets out of his wallet and cashed the winner for a $17 million lump sum payment.

Shakespeare, 41, of Lakeland, said he had asked Ford to purchase two tickets for him and paid Ford $2 when he returned to the truck.

Attorneys for both men said the case turned on the testimony of five co-workers, all of whom testified that Ford initially told them that he had purchased the tickets for Shakespeare. Only later did Ford change his story to say Shakespeare swiped the tickets, they said.

'It boiled down to a question of who was the jury going to believe,' said Arnold Levine, Ford's attorney. 'Ford denied making those statements, but they the witnesses didn't necessarily have a motive to lie. So it was difficult to overcome that.'

Shakespeare's attorney, Willie Gary, agreed with Levine's assessment.

'Those people would have had to commit perjury, and they didn't hardly know Abraham Shakespeare,' Gary said.

Shakespeare said he plans to move ahead with a defamation lawsuit against Ford.

When asked what he learned from the ordeal, Shakespeare replied, 'When I pull up at a convenience store next time, buy my own lottery ticket.'

Reporter Todd Leskanic can be reached at (352) 521-3156 or tleskanic@tampatrib.com.

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