A Munford, Tennessee, couple said Friday they hold one of three winning tickets of the massive $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot.
John and Lisa Robinson appeared on NBC's "Today" show claiming they're among the winners of Wednesday's drawing.
"We were up all night,'' Lisa said of their reaction Wednesday night. "We didn't get any sleep."
The couple bought four tickets at Naifeh's Food Mart, a grocery store one block from their home at 6:56 p.m. on Wednesday night. John, a father of two, said he bought the four tickets as he always does to represent the four members of their family, with the computer choosing the winning numbers of 04, 08, 19, 27, 34 and Powerball 10.
"Actually, (I was) a little scared because I didn't know exactly what do to,'' John said Friday. "I knew that I wanted to get an accountant. I knew that I wanted to get a lawyer and try to follow the procedures that they tell you to follow."
California, Tennessee and Florida sold one jackpot winning ticket each, lottery officials said. The Robinsons' potential winning ticket has not yet been verified by Tennessee lottery officials, but news outlets have reported that one of the winners was sold at Naifeh's in Munford.
The prize is roughly $533 million if they choose the lump-sum payment, which is $327.8 million after taxes.
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The family has hired Joe Townsend, a Memphis estate planning and tax attorney. Townsend, a "Today" show fan, advised the Robinsons to reach out to the show first rather than go to lottery officials so that they can "have control" of their story. John said they plan to contact lottery officials after the show.
"I think the American public wants to hear from them, and even though they want to be private after this is over, they want to let the public know that they're the winners,'' Townsend said.
Lisa, who works in a dermatologist's office, said she loves her job and plans on working despite the huge prize.
"I'll be there Monday,'' she said after calling her supervisor to tell her to tune in to "Today."
There have been several hoax claims following Wednesday's drawing. On Thursday, reports began to circulate that a California nurse had won the prize with a ticket purchased by her boss. The daughter of the woman told Los Angeles Times that she believed there was a misunderstanding based on a photo of a ticket that was sent to her mother.
