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Brian McCarthy, son of millionaire Marriott president Robert McCarthy, can add an
extra $107 million to his family fortune from the Virginia lottery. The 25-year-old
bachelor bought five tickets on a whim at the Herndon, Va., grocery store Giant. He
had gone in to use the ATM and bought five tickets without even knowing how much
the prize money was. He didn’t even pick personal lucky numbers, letting the computer
pick them for him. A few days later, he checked Facebook for the winning numbers and
got the surprise of a lifetime. “I jumped out of bed, poured my wallet out and looked at
the numbers and I had the ticket,” McCarthy said. When McCarthy collected the money,
he chose to take the lump sum instead of receiving the money in yearly payments over
the course of 26 years. The lump sum totaled $68 million before taxes. “I’d like my family
to be able to enjoy it as much as I can. And also help out some charities along the way,”
McCarthy said. At the time, McCarthy was working as an account manager for Pepsi. He
has since left that job. So far, he has taken a golfing trip to Ireland, traveled to Alaska
with his sister and bought a BMW M3, a car that starts at about $59,000. As for charities,
he has donated $25,000 each to two, including the Herndon Optimist Club, which helps
local children.
