A French man is willing to share his lottery winnings with the two thieves who used his stolen credit card to buy the lucky ticket. The logo of France’s national lottery, La Française des Jeux (FDJ), is shown in the image. REUTERS
A French man is offering to share a lottery jackpot with two thieves who used his stolen credit card to buy the winning ticket.
Jean-Davide Estele’s car was broken into on February 3 in Toulouse. The thieves took his credit card and used it at a local bar to buy a few items, including a lottery ticket. That ticket turned out to be worth 500,000 euros ($525,000).
Estele’s lawyer, Pierre Debuisson, called the situation a “miracle” for both his client and the thieves. “Without my client’s credit card, the ticket wouldn’t have been bought. But without the thieves, he wouldn’t have won either,” Debuisson said.
Instead of pressing charges, Estele wants to find the thieves and offer them half of the prize money. The pair, believed to be homeless, have disappeared, and police have been unable to identify them despite finding fingerprints. Some security footage exists, but its poor quality has made tracking them down difficult.
Debuisson made a public appeal, urging the thieves to come forward. “They have nothing to fear from us,” he said. “I really hope they contact my office so we can reach an agreement that benefits everyone.”
Estele and his wife plan to use their share of the money to build a new house. He remains amazed by the unusual twist of fate, with Debuisson calling it “one of the funniest cases” he has ever worked on.
The bizarre story has attracted global attention, with media coverage in China, Russia, and India. Debuisson is surprised by the worldwide interest. “I never imagined this case would get so much attention,” he said.
Meanwhile, France’s national lottery operator has confirmed that no claim for the prize has been made yet. Winning tickets must usually be claimed within 30 days of the sales period’s end.
