A Mega Millions winner steps forward

BALTIMORE, April 10 (UPI) -- Three Maryland public school employees have come forward with a winning Mega Millions lottery ticket, Maryland Lottery officials said Tuesday.

Lottery Director Stephen Martino said two of the winners are teachers while a third is an administrator, WBAL-TV, Baltimore, reported.

Martino said the three have worked together for years in the public school system and one of the winners holds two full-time jobs to make ends meet.

"These are precisely the people you would want to see win the lottery," Martino said, adding that they were humbled by their stroke of luck.

He said one of the winners is a woman in her 20s, another is a man in his 40s and the third winner is a woman in her 50s.

The trio will receive a third of the $656 million grand prize.

Other winning tickets were purchased in Kansas and Illinois.

Last week, Mirlande Wilson, 37, of Baltimore appeared at a news conference after announcing she had purchased one of the winning tickets, the Washington Post reported.

Edward Smith Jr., an attorney for Wilson, said a lawsuit has been filed against Wilson by a person who claims they contributed to a fund she used to purchase lottery tickets.

"This thing has kind of snowballed," Smith said.