A Portland man took home over $400 million after taxes — and plans to split the money evenly with a friend who chipped in for some lotto tickets
A Portland resident has been identified as the lucky winner of a staggering $1.3 billion lottery prize.
On Monday, April 29, Cheng “Charlie” Saephan, 46, and his wife, Duanpen, 37, from Portland, were announced as the winners of Oregon’s largest-ever lottery jackpot. The couple plans to share their windfall with their friend, Laiza Chao, 55, who contributed $100 towards the purchase of lottery tickets.
“First, I want to thank God for giving me this beautiful prize,” Saephan expressed while receiving his winnings at the Oregon Lottery office on Monday.
Saephan’s journey is as remarkable as his recent luck. Born in Laos, he moved to Thailand in 1987 before immigrating to the U.S. in 1994. He has lived in Portland for the past 30 years and has two young children. At the ceremony, he proudly wore a sash representing his Iu Mien heritage.
AP Photo/Jenny Kane
Saephan, a former machinist for an aerospace company, is also battling cancer. He humorously questioned, “How am I going to have time to spend all of this money?” Saephan was first diagnosed in 2016 and underwent his most recent chemotherapy treatment just a week before the announcement.
“I am grateful for the lottery and how I have been blessed,” Saephan shared. “I am able to provide for my family and my health. My life has been changed. Now I can bless my family and hire a good doctor for myself.”
Saephan revealed that he, his wife, and their friend spent a total of $200 on lottery tickets. He prayed diligently each night that they would win, even writing the numbers on a piece of paper and sleeping with it under his pillow.
“I need some help — I don’t want to die yet unless I have done something for my family first,” Saephan recalled praying before the winning numbers were announced.
The winning ticket was purchased at a Plaid Pantry store in Portland, which will receive a $100,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
“I want to offer my heartfelt congratulations to the Saephans and Ms. Chao on this historic win,” Oregon Lottery Director Mike Wells said in a statement. “Not only is the prize life-changing for the three of them and their families, it’s also a huge win for the state.”
After purchasing their tickets, Chao sent a photo to Saephan and jokingly said, “We’re billionaires.” Choosing a one-time payment instead of the 30-year annuity option, the group received a post-tax amount of $422,309,193.97.
