Closed captioning of: Are Powerball winners fronting for real winner?
>>>
the men who claimed that huge
power ball
jackpot earlier this week are trying to put to rest speculation that they are not the actual inwithers. nbc's
anne thompson
is here with the latest on that. good morning to you.
>>
good morning, savannah. you would think winning $54 million would put you on
easy street
but the good fortune of three connecticut men sparked rumors and distrust as skeptics question who really hit the jackpot.
>>
his name is tim, he's right here, so he is our regular customer.
>> reporter:
is he tim davidson, purchaser of the winning ticket at this
gas station
.
>>
congratulations.
>> reporter:
a
money manager
, and one of the three-member putnam avenue
family trust
claiming connecticut's largest family payout. the subdued demeanor of the three monday was a stark contrast to typical big ticket winners. the new york costco winners splitting more than $200 million, the $229 million joy of tom and kathleen morris.
>>
we're going to live the way we have but just a little bit higher.
>> reporter:
and the humility of 23-year-old neil wanless, winning a jackpot of $232 million.
>>
i intend to repay that many times over.
>> reporter:
you get the sense these men claiming this ticket have handled big sums before, they were brief and to the point.
>>
we're the trustees.
>> reporter:
new york's tabloids bristled at the irony of america's rich getting richer and this allegation from "london's
daily mail
" reporting the three are fronting for the real winner, a client, tom gladstone who told nbc news "i was nervous i let the cat out of the bag." the internet buzzed with rumors reporting to the reluctance of the trio to talk about the men. they issued a statement to squash the speculation. there are a total of three trustees and there is no anonymous fourth participant just three money managers with millions of their own to work with. now as one of its first acts, within the next week and a half the trust will distribute $1 million to organizations that help veterans. savannah?
>>
good start,
anne thompson
, thank you so much.
“ ”