For more than five months _ while Julie Cervera struggled to pay a $600 electrical bill, feed her family and keep the cable company from shutting off her service because she couldn't pay _ she was a millionaire without knowing it.

Meanwhile, her $23 million lottery ticket languished forgotten in the glove compartment of her car.

On Thursday, someone texted her a photo of her daughter, Charliena Marquez, buying the winning ticket for her at a Palmdale Liquor store. The photo had been released by lottery officials searching for the mysterious winner of the May drawing.

``I put my 99-cent glasses on, and I had to put two pairs on to see it,'' said 69-year-old Cervera. She recognized her daughter in the grainy photo, but she still couldn't read the caption.

``I thought she robbed a bank because I couldn't see the words on top,'' Cervera said with a laugh. ``So I put on a third pair (of glasses) and it said she won. I was like, `No way!'''

Back in May, mother and daughter were driving home together when Marquez felt queasy and asked her mother to pull over so she could buy a bottle of water.

``She always gets carsick,'' Cervera said.

Cervera asked her daughter to buy her a lottery ticket and dug in her purse trying to find a dollar. Marquez protested but eventually used her own money to purchase a Super Lotto Plus ticket for her mom.

``I put it in my new car. It's an old car but it's new to me. It's been there for five months,'' Cervera said Friday at a news conference with her three adult children and half a dozen grandchildren lined up behind her. ``I've got like 200 tickets laying around my house. I never check my tickets.''

But when she finally looked in the glove compartment, the winning ticket was right where she left it. It was set to expire Nov. 26, so the California Lottery went looking for the winner.

Officials found the surveillance video from Michael's Market and Liquor and released the photo, which Cervera's other daughter spotted in the Antelope Valley Press.

Marquez initially dismissed calls and texts from friends and family who recognized her in the photo.

``My sister called at 11 o'clock at night and woke me up. She said, `This girl is you.' I said, `No, it's not me,' because I hadn't seen it yet,'' she said.

It wasn't until the next morning that Marquez realized she had bought the winning ticket that would help her mother and her entire family for years to come.

Cervera, a widow who has lived on disability for 20 years, said her family has been through difficult times recently. Last year her 47-year-old son Rudy was killed in a motorcycle accident, leaving four teenage children.

``I'd give it all up to have my son here again,'' she said and began to cry. Her oldest grandson, Rudy Jr., hugged her and the whole family wiped away tears.

``My grandkids are all going to be taken care of, and my (three) daughters,'' she said. ``I'm just so happy. I'm going to buy me a pair of Reeboks.''

She also has two adopted sons, ages 5 and 9, who have developmental disabilities.

``A big portion is going to them, so that when I'm gone they'll be OK,'' she said. ``I'm going to take them to Disneyland. I really am! And we're going to pay for everything.''

Cervera had only 180 days to claim her prize. If she hadn't acted, the millions would have gone to California schools. A $52 million jackpot winner in Fremont was found in August by a similar public appeal by lottery officials.

In the last fiscal year, more than $20.5 million in cash prizes went unclaimed.

Cervera said she would take a one-time cash payment of $17.8 million.

``I'm not going to be here 30 years from now,'' she said.

<한글 기사>

‘인생역전’ 생활고 허덕이던 노인, 250억 복권 당첨

복권당국, 5개월만에 복권 주인 찾아

미국에서 생활고에 허덕이던 한 69 세 여성이 복권을 구입한지 수개월 만에 당첨 사실을 확인, '백만장자' 반열에 올랐 다.

딸을 시켜 복권을 구입했던 줄리 서베라는 당첨자를 찾으려는 복권당국의 노력으로 뒤늦게 자신이 2천300만달러(한화 250억원) 복권 당첨의 주인공이라는 사실을 알게 됐다.

서베라는 지난 1일(현지시간) 자신의 딸 찰리에나 마케즈가 복권을 구입하고 있는 사진을 문자로 전송받았다. 

그는 "처음엔 내 딸이 은행을 터는 모습인 줄 알았다"며 "안경 세 개를 걸쳐 쓰고서야 마케즈가 산 복권이 당첨됐다는 사실을 깨달았다"고 말했다.

서베라는 지난 5월 함께 자동차를 타고 귀가하던 딸에게 복권을 사오라고 시켰다. 이날 구입한 복권은 장장 5개월 동안 자동차 보관함에 묵혀 있었다.

캘리포니아 복권당국은 해당 복권의 수령만료일인 11월 26일이 다가오자 당첨자를 찾기 위해 복권 판매처의 CCTV 영상을 확보, 캡처해 언론에 배포했다. 

서베라와 마케즈는 주변 지인과 가족을 통해 신문에 게재된 사진 속 주인공이 마케즈인 것 같다는 이야기를 전해듣고는 직접 사진을 전송받아 사실을 확인했다.

장애를 지닌 채 20여년 간 홀로 자식을 키워 온 서베라는 지난해 오토바이 사고로 아들 루디(당시 47세)를 잃은 뒤 어려운 시기를 보냈다.

서베라는 가족을 부양하면서 전기요금 600달러를 마련하느라 고군분투했고, 이용료 연체로 케이블 서비스가 중단되지는 않을까 늘 전전긍긍해야 했다.

슬하에 딸 3명과 손자•손녀 6명을 둔 서베라는 "앞으로 내 딸과 손자•손녀를 모두 잘 돌볼 것"이라며 "정말 행복하다"고 소회를 밝혔다.

발달장애가 있는 아들 둘도 입양해 키우고 있는 서베라는 당첨금의 상당 부분을 그들에게 줄 것이라고 밝혔다.

그는 "내가 떠나도 이 아이들이 잘 지낼 수 있도록 해야 하기 때문"이라고 말했다.

서베라는 세금 등을 제외하면 일시불로 1천780만달러(194억원)를 수령하게 된다. 

만일 서베라가 당첨자라는 사실이 밝혀지지 않았더라면, 이 금액은 캘리포니아 학교들에 기부될 예정이었다.

한편, 복권당국은 지난 8월에도 캘리포니아 프리몬트에서 5천200달러(570억원) 복권당첨자를 비슷한 방식으로 찾아낸 바 있다.

지난 회계연도 중 약 2억500만달러(2천200억원) 이상의 복권당첨금이 주인을 찾지 못했다.