Powerball · United States · 6 April 2024
Saephan chose the numbers himself, writing them on a slip of paper and sleeping with it under his pillow. He, his wife Duanpen and their friend Laiza Chao, who put in $100, bought a batch of 20 tickets at a Plaid Pantry convenience store in north-east Portland, Oregon.
Advertised prize
$1,326,000,000
Cash value $621,000,000
Ticket
Own numbers
Outcome
Ended in tragedy
The win was followed by a death or a violent crime.
Cheng "Charlie" Saephan, a 46-year-old machinist at an aerospace company, matched all six numbers in the 6 April 2024 Powerball draw on a ticket bought at a Plaid Pantry convenience store in Portland, Oregon. Born in Laos and ethnically Iu Mien, he moved to Thailand in 1987 and to the United States in 1994, and had lived in Portland for about 30 years. He had been treated for cancer for eight years and had chemotherapy the week his win was announced. He picked the numbers himself, writing them on paper and sleeping with it under his pillow. He played with his wife Duanpen, 37, and their friend Laiza Chao, 55, of Milwaukie, who contributed $100 towards a batch of 20 tickets. At the Oregon Lottery's claim event in Salem on 29 April 2024 they took the cash option, an advertised $621 million, about $422 million after 24 per cent federal and 8 per cent Oregon withholding. Plaid Pantry received a $100,000 selling bonus. "I am grateful for the lottery and how I have been blessed," Saephan said.
(2026) The Oregon Lottery reported in April 2025 that Saephan had bought a family home, a metallic neon Lamborghini and east-side Portland apartment buildings, had backed a local Thai restaurant group, had undergone two surgeries and was still buying tickets weekly. Florida Today (USA TODAY Network) reported on 21 July 2026 that he died on 17 January 2026, less than two years after the win, and was buried at Riverview Cemetery in Portland.
One detail worth keeping
Laiza Chao joked to the Saephans before the draw that they were already "billionaires"; her $100 stake in a 20-ticket batch made it true.
Theodorus Struyck
Stayed privatePowerball · United States · 2023
$1,765,000,000
He bought the second-largest winning ticket in Powerball history about 500 yards from his own front door, at a cabin he had paid $90,000 for in 2010.
Edwin Castro
Went wellPowerball · United States · 2022
$2,040,000,000
The draw ran a day late: Minnesota's sales-verification system held up all 48 lotteries, so the $2.04bn numbers were drawn at 8:57 a.m. ET on 8 November 2022.
Manuel Franco
Stayed privatePowerball · United States · 2019
$768,400,000
He told reporters he had under $1,000 in his bank account when he spent $10 on the quick picks that won $768.4 million.
Lerynne West
Gave it awayPowerball · United States · 2018
$343,900,000
She learned she had won while the ticket was lost - it had fallen out of her purse onto the floor of her sister's pickup truck.
Theodorus Struyck
Stayed privatePowerball · United States · 2023
$1,765,000,000
He bought the second-largest winning ticket in Powerball history about 500 yards from his own front door, at a cabin he had paid $90,000 for in 2010.
Saltines Holdings, LLC (Miami, Florida)
Stayed privateMega Millions · United States · 2023
$1,602,000,000
The biggest Mega Millions winner in history is a company: Saltines Holdings, LLC of Miami. The Publix that sold the $2 Quick Pick collected a $100,000 retailer bonus.
Edwin Castro
Went wellPowerball · United States · 2022
$2,040,000,000
The draw ran a day late: Minnesota's sales-verification system held up all 48 lotteries, so the $2.04bn numbers were drawn at 8:57 a.m. ET on 8 November 2022.
Wolverine FLL Club
Stayed privateMega Millions · United States · 2021
$1,050,000,000
Michigan publishes the names of jackpot winners, but claiming as a four-person club meant only the club's attorney had to be named - all four players stayed anonymous.
Every figure and quotation above comes from these.
Last verified: 2026-09-13