A US woman has admitted lying after she claimed she had lost the winning ticket for a near £90 million lottery prize awarded to another woman
Elecia Battle, 40, wept as she announced she is dropping her lawsuit to block payment of the Mega Millions jackpot to the certified winner, her lawyer Sheldon Starke said.
"I wanted to win," Ms Battle said. "The numbers were so overwhelming. I did buy a ticket and I lost. I wanted to win so bad for my kids and my family. I apologise."
The woman from Cleveland had filed a police report saying she lost the ticket, possibly when she dropped her purse outside a convenience store.
The lottery declared Rebecca Jemison, 34, the winner on Tuesday.
The £90m jackpot paid out about £37million after tax.
Ms Battle said she wanted to use the money to help her family and recently laid-off Cleveland police officers. She apologised to Mrs Jemison, her lawyer and her husband.
"I'm not a bad person, I'm really not," she said. "Everyone has a past."
Authorities have begun investigating whether Battle lied in the police report - a misdemeanour punishable by 30 days to six months in jail.
PA