Tenn. couple claims they have Powerball jackpot ticket

MUNFORD, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee man pulled a folded Powerball ticket from the front pocket of his shirt and told a national television audience today that he held one of three winners of the world-record $1.6 billion Powerball jackpot.

"Now I'll be nervous because everybody knows," said John Robinson, who appeared in the New York studios of NBC's "Today" show alongside his wife Lisa, their daughter and their lawyer.

The Associated Press could not immediately verify the Robinsons' claim. There have been hoax winners in the past. News of a winner in California was quickly deflated today when that feel-good tale was described as a prank. Lottery officials in Tennessee, California and Florida – the states where the winning tickets were sold – have yet to identify them.

The Robinsons said their lawyer advised them to appear on national TV even before presenting the ticket to lottery officials, as a way to "control" the story. The family said they would go to the Tennessee lottery office in Nashville later today. Lottery spokeswoman Rachel Petrie said she could not confirm the win meanwhile.

Lawyers who have represented other lottery winners advise against going public until they are ready to manage such a huge windfall. Talking seriously with experts in tax law, financial planning, privacy, security and other safeguards can help keep them, and their winnings, safe, they say.