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Megaplier pays off for New York man

Javier Fernandez

Drawing Date: 5/24/2019

June 17, 2019 - Seventy-year-old Javier Fernandez from East Elmhurst, N.Y., has claimed a $2,000,000 Mega Millions Megaplier second prize. Fernandez matched the first five numbers drawn for the May 24 drawing making him Queens County’s newest Lottery millionaire.

The Megaplier is an optional $1 additional wager available to Mega Millions players at the time of purchase. The add-on feature allows players to multiply a Mega Millions prize, other than the jackpot, by up to five times its original value.

Megaplier numbers are selected randomly prior to each Mega Millions drawing. Much to the delight of Fernandez the random number selected for the May 24 drawing was 2. As a result, Fernandez saw what would have been a $1,000,000 second prize mushroom to $2,000,000 automatically.

“I checked my ticket on the ticket checker and it said ‘Big Winner,’” explained Fernandez.

The winning Mega Millions numbers for the May 24 drawing were 14-41-44-56-62 Mega Ball 10. The $2,000,000 Mega Millions second prize is paid as a one-time lump sum payment.  Fernandez will receive a net check totaling $1,266,080 after required withholdings.

“I plan to use the winnings to pay off my wife’s car and invest the rest into my own business,” he said.

The winning ticket was purchased at the 7-Eleven on Astoria Boulevard in East Elmhurst.

Fernandez is the 54th New York Lottery player to claim a prize totaling $1,000,000 or more this year. The New York Lottery contributed $1,263,968,814 in Lottery Aid to Education throughout the five boroughs of New York City during fiscal year 2018-2019.