Did an Auto Mechanic Win the $1.5 Billion Mega Millions Lottery Prize?

Inside Edition visited Simpsonville, South Carolina, where the ticket was purchased, to ask around about the mysterious winner.

It's been 10 weeks since one lucky person won the $1.5 billion Mega Millions jackpot, but no one's come forward to claim the prize.

Inside Edition went to Simpsonville, South Carolina, where the ticket was purchased, to ask around about the mysterious winner. Rumor has it, he's an auto mechanic who quit his job the day he discovered he'd won. 

At the Coach House restaurant, no one was talking, with most saying they have “no idea” where the winner is. Mayor Janice Curtis was similarly tight-lipped. “I have no idea who it is and if I did know who it was I wouldn't tell ya,” she told Inside Edition. 

Lawyer Jason Kurland, who advises big-bucks lottery winners, offered his advice to the mystery winner. 

“First thing you do is stay quiet," Kurland told Inside Edition. "Don't tell your friends, don't tell your family. You have a couple of weeks before you come forward to the world. You need that time to be in the right mindset.

"You don't need people knocking on your door asking for handouts before you even have the money," he added. 

Kurland also said you should make sure you sign your winning ticket right away.

“If that's not signed and God forbid you lose it, and someone else signs it and brings it in, it's their ticket," he said. 

When faced with the choice of the annual payment or lump sum, he advised going for the latter, which he calls the better long-term option. 

“Invest in yourself rather than having the lottery pay you every year," he said.

The winner still has plenty of time to come forward, as the deadline for cashing in is April 21.

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