Lady Luck is shining brightly in Hyde Park as Desiree Fortini-Craft scooped up a whopping $25 million from a scratch-off lottery ticket, making it her second major win in 17 years. In an awe-striking twist of fate, Fortune-Craft struck gold with a "Billion Dollar Extravaganza" scratch ticket, the same kind of game that blessed her with $1 million in winnings back in 2006, as reported by WHDH.
This remarkable scoop was no quick-stop shop affair; Fortini-Craft had scratched off her ticket "a few weeks ago," according to WHDH, and stashed it in a secure spot while she jetted off to Aruba. Upon her sun-kissed return, she and her fiancé, Jason Perkins, decided to finally claim their prize. They’ve opted to take a one-time payment of $16,250,000 before taxes, a move sure to have them start planning a "really good Christmas in Aruba," Fortini-Craft excitedly told lottery officials.
The Baker Street Market in West Roxbury, where Fortini-Craft purchased her golden ticket, isn't being left out in the cold either. The market is set to receive a $50,000 bonus for selling that winning ticket. Amid the flashy digits and dollar signs, Fortini-Craft has her sights set on a noble cause: to fully wipe out the student loans of her three daughters. As FOX 10 Phoenix reports, she's also looking forward to some other big family purchases and setting her sights on a new car.
