| Ferrante |
I would love to have his problems. Read on.
Mark Ferrante
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The NY Post
THE POOR LITTLE RICH GUY
By JEREMY OLSHAN, LORENA MONGELLI and ANDY GELLER
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December 6, 2004 -- Juan Rodriguez won $149 million, but so far it's
only brought him a whole lotto trouble.
In fact, relatives say, the former parking-lot attendant was a happier
man when he was bankrupt.
Since winning the Mega Millions jackpot on Nov. 19 — two days after
filing for bankruptcy — Rodriguez, 49, has lost his wife and has been
besieged by a swarm of friends and relatives seeking handouts. Not to
mention reporters seeking interviews.
So he has holed up in a small suite on the 22nd floor of a Midtown
hotel, which he hardly ever leaves, ordering in from room service. "He
was happier bankrupt than he is now," a relative said yesterday. "This
is terrible. This is too much."
Rodriguez shares the suite, which has a small dining room, with nephew
Robert Herrera.
The two quaff a total of six to eight bottles of beer a day and smoke
like chimneys, hotel employees say.
They have lots of visitors, but guard their privacy jealously. They
often request that calls be held and usually decline to have the suite
cleaned, leaving a bag of trash outside the door. The suite costs at
least $345 a night. Someone else is footing the bill because Rodriguez
hasn't seen a cent of his winnings.
The Queens man was $45,000 in debt when he filed for bankruptcy on
Nov. 17. He owed money to eight credit-card firms and the Internal
Revenue Service and had only 78 cents in the bank — less than the
usual price of a cuppa joe.
Hours before the Nov. 19 drawing, Rodriguez bought a ticket. At work
the next day, he learned he was a rich man. Rodriguez elected to take
a lump-sum payment of $88 million, or $59 million after taxes.
Days before the drawing, Rodriguez reconciled with his wife of 17
years, Iris, who had kicked him out of the Ozone Park home after yet
another fight over his money woes. The couple were all smiles at a
lottery press conference.
But on Nov. 29, 10 days after the drawing, Iris filed for divorce,
demanding half the jackpot — $29.5 million.
Her lawyer notified lottery officials of the impending divorce,
essentially freezing the money.
Rodriguez, who initially was defending himself, now has "a whole bunch
of lawyers," the relative said.
Things got worse.
Even though he hadn't received a cent of his winnings, friends and
relatives were quick to seek handouts. "All these people were coming
to the door hoping for money," the relative said. The visitors
included a representative from Chase — where Rodriguez had only
pennies in his account — who wanted to sign him up for more services.
Rodriguez also worried that with his newfound fame, relatives in his
native Colombia — the kidnap capital of the world — might be abducted
to force him to pay ransom.
Additional reporting by Michael White
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