BUSTED

Lottery Winner Loses Welfare

Anti-fraud officials investigate.

The state of Michigan has figured out that winning the lottery is not like being unemployed. The Department of Human Services has cut off welfare to Amanda Clayton, a 24-year-old woman who hit a $1 million lottery jackpot last fall yet continued to collect $200 a month in food aid. Her case has also been referred to state anti-fraud officials to investigate. Clayton, who has two children, defended her decision to the Detroit news crew that tracked her down. “I feel that it’s OK because, I mean, I have no income, and I have bills to pay. I have two houses.” She bought a second house, along with a car, when she won the lottery. After it was discovered that another Michigan resident continued to get public assistance after winning a $2 million jackpot in 2010, a Republican lawmaker sponsored a bill that would trigger a state notification whenever someone wins more than $1,000 in the lottery.