Unemployed lottery winner still collects food stamps

A million dollars isn't enough for some...

This fall, 24-year-old Amanda Clayton won $1 million from the Michigan State Lottery. Sure, someone else getting handed a huge check might make some a little jealous, but many were outraged at Clayton's winnings, as she was still using a Bridge card. ...

Local 4 tracked Clayton down to her Lincoln Park home where cameras spotted her and a U-Haul truck, getting ready to move into a new house—that she paid for in cash—now that she has struck it rich. She also bought a new car.  These purchases are nothing out of the ordinary for someone who just won the lottery, however hidden cameras followed Clayton grocery shopping, where she admitted she uses a Bridge card to pay for her items. She said she gets $200 each month, from taxpayers, to foot her food bill.

When confronted, Clayton said she didn't think she was doing anything wrong.  "I thought that they would cut me off, but since they didn't, I thought maybe it was okay because I'm not working," she said.

She said she didn't actually get the full million, because after she took a lump sum, the total dropped down to $700,000. After taxes, it was just more than half a million, Clayton said.  Even still, Clayton said she thinks she still has a right to the $200 a month in state funds.

"I feel that it's okay because I mean, I have no income and I have bills to pay," she said. "I have two houses."

Author's note: For more on this story, see Jonathan's coverage here.