Does anyone remember this woman? Won $1m lottery & continued to receive welfare

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Oct 22, 2004
Michigan $1 Million Lotto Winner Who Was Charged With Welfare Fraud Found Dead

By SUSANNA KIM and ALYSSA NEWCOMB | Good Morning America – 5 hrs ago

A woman who admitted to receiving food stamps after winning $1 million on a Michigan state lotto game show was found dead today.

The circumstances surrounding Amanda Clayton's death were not immediately released by police, but ABC News' Detroit affiliate WXYZ-TV reported that sources within the police department said they suspect the woman died of an overdose.

An autopsy is pending on Clayton's body, which was found at a home in Ecorse, Mich., police said.

Clayton, who became a millionaire after her big win last September, caused outrage earlier this year when it was revealed she was continuing to get $200 in monthly food aid from the state.

According to the attorney general's office, Clayton failed to report her winnings and employment while receiving $5,475 in food and medical assistance.

"It's simply common sense that million dollar lottery winners forfeit their right to public assistance," Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said in a statement. "We will continue to work with local, state and federal authorities to uphold state laws intended to ensure wise stewardship of taxpayer dollars."

Michigan public assistance programs require participants to report income and employment.

She pleaded no contest to welfare fraud and was sentenced to probation in July.

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Is this a small (yet uncommon) example of the need for welfare reform due to abuse of the system?
 
Wow. I remember the OG story and you would have thought that this was a possibility; this or blowing it all. She was hell bent on keeping her welfare too.
 
I mean with no details kind of hard to have an opinion or make anything out of it.
 
I mean with no details kind of hard to have an opinion or make anything out of it.
True but if it says police suspect an overdose, there was likely some evidence of drug use.

It's sad in a way and shows that a lot of people who come into money don't really know how to handle it. I just remember the initial thread and the focus on the welfare aspect at the time and while I feel welfare shouldn't be eliminated in any sense, there's a definite need for reform. It's too frequently abused or used as a crutch.
 
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