By Ari Bloomekatz, Los Angeles Times
Customers crowd Jenny’s Gift Shop in San Jose, where one of two winning tickets was sold for last month’s $648-million Mega Millions jackpot drawing. (Ben Margot / Associated Press / December 18, 2013)
The second owner of a winning Mega Millions ticket worth $324 million has come forward to claim his prize, lottery officials announced Friday.
Steve Tran of Northern California is the owner of one of two winning tickets for last month’s $648-million Mega Millions jackpot drawing, a prize that lottery officials said was the second largest in U.S. history.
Tran purchased his ticket in San Jose. The other winner, a Georgia resident who has already come forward, purchased her ticket in Atlanta.
Tran’s winning ticket — with numbers 8, 14, 17, 20, 39 and a Mega number of 7 — was sold at Jenny’s Gift Shop in San Jose, according to state Lottery spokesman Alex Traverso.
Each winner’s ticket is worth $324 million; if the cash option is chosen, each ticket is worth $173.8 million before taxes.
Tran, Traverso said, got excited watching the hubbub over the winner in San Jose the day after the drawing.
“Everybody was anxious, looking for the person,” Tran said about the media coverage, according to a news release from the California Lottery.
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