EDMONDS — A 71-year-old Edmonds man is the most recent Snohomish County resident to win big money in Washington’s Lottery.
Joseph Fortolese, a retired University of Washington professor, won a $670,000 cashpot from a Hit 5 ticket he bought at Top Food &Drug on Highway 99 in Edmonds.
Fortolese realized he held a winning ticket after he and his wife returned home from a trip to California, Washington’s Lottery spokeswoman Jacque Coe said.
While flipping through a stack of newspapers to catch up on current events, Fortolese remembered the Hit 5 ticket he still had in his wallet. In the newspaper, he found the winning numbers that were drawn June 28.
He looked at the first three numbers — 11, 23 and 25 — and set down the newspaper, Coe said.
Then, he checked his last two numbers, 30 and 36.
He told lottery officials that he couldn’t believe it and had his wife double-check the number.
Fortolese was out of town Tuesday and unavailable for comment.
About 25 percent of Fortolese’s jackpot will be taken out for taxes, Coe said.
The $670,000 cashpot is the largest ever won in Hit 5, a game that was introduced in March 2007.
Snohomish County residents have recently had a run of good luck in playing the lottery.
In June, Hans and Margaret Stampfli of Marysville collected $1 million from Washington’s Lottery new Raffle game on Friday. The couple, both 29, were expecting their third child when they won.
In February, Owen Osborn, 48, of Smokey Point, won a $2.3 million jackpot from a ticket he bought at 7-Eleven on Broadway in Everett.
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
