Man becomes U.S. citizen and millionaire
Published: September 27, 2005
Moses Bittok says he immigrated to the United States from Kenya because he figured it was the land of opportunity.
On Friday, the same day he was sworn in as a U.S. citizen , the West Des Moines resident discovered that he had won a Hot Lotto jackpot worth $1.89 million.
“I guess only in America,” he joked Monday morning while talking with talking with reporters at the Iowa Lottery headquarters in Des Moines. Bittok, 40, was accompanied by his wife, Leonida, and their daughter, Mindy.
Bittok, who came to the U.S. in 1989, is a correctional officer at the state women’s prison in Mitchellville. His wife is studying to become a nurse. They have opted to take the jackpot prize as an annuity that will net t hem $52,920 annually, after taxes, for the next 25 years.
Hot Lotto is a lottery game played in Iowa and six other states. Bittok purchased his winning ticket at the Hy-Vee grocery store at 1725 74th St. in West Des Moines where he formerly worked part-time as a clerk.
He and his wife said they have no special plans for spending the extra money and he plans to continue working full-time. But they do plan to establish a college fund for their daughter.
“I know she is No. 1 – college; that’s the biggest thing,” he said.
Bittok’s lottery ticket was the 85th purchased in Iowa to win a prize of $1 million or more, said Iowa Lottery Vice President Mary Neubauer.
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