A JUDGE WON A $291M POWERBALL WHILE HIS BROTHER WON $7.

On March 2, 2016, Pennsylvania senior judge James Stocklas and his brother Bob both purchased tickets for the Powerball jackpot. James ended up winning the $291.4 million grand prize, while Bob walked away with exactly $7.

The siblings had spent a month soaking up the sun in the Florida Keys on a fishing trip with a larger group of family and friends. As the vacation wrapped up and they prepared for the long trip back north to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the group made a quick pit stop.

They pulled into a Tom Thumb convenience store in Marathon, Florida, to stretch their legs and pick up some lottery tickets for the upcoming Wednesday draw.

The Florida Lottery reported that James purchased a Quick Pick ticket alongside two of his friends. Bob also bought a ticket of his own at the same time, hoping for a bit of luck.

The winning numbers drawn that Wednesday evening were 12, 13, 44, 52 and 62, with a Powerball of 6.

Two days later, on Friday, March 4, James was sitting in his favorite diner back home in Bethlehem, eating breakfast and settling back into his normal routine. He pulled up the lottery numbers on his phone and began checking them against the ticket in his wallet.

“I got my POWERBALL ticket out of my wallet to check the numbers, and sure enough, I was the jackpot winner!” James later said in a public statement.

Realizing he was suddenly a multi-millionaire, the 67-year-old judge immediately celebrated the news by buying breakfast for everyone sitting in the restaurant, according to Yahoo News UK.

He then pulled out his phone again, calling his friends and family to share the massive news. He told them, “we are going back to Florida!”

A $291.4 Million Jackpot Split Three Ways

The official payout was massive, though James did not take home the advertised $291.4 million. He opted for a one-time lump-sum payment of $191,470,307.58 before taxes.

Because he had pooled his money with his two friends for the winning ticket, the trio split the jackpot. After all applicable taxes were deducted, James and his friends each walked away with about $40 million.

His brother Bob, meanwhile, officially claimed his $7 prize.

The Tom Thumb store at 5515 Overseas Highway that sold the winning ticket also celebrated, receiving an $85,000 bonus from the state lottery for its role in the historic win.

Despite the life-changing windfall, James told PennLive that he did not plan to fully quit his job. He said he would continue filling in at the courthouse as a senior judge.

As a divorced father of two and a grandfather of three, his primary focus was on using the money to help his family. He explained that he planned to buy an accessible home for his legally blind and disabled son.

“I can take care of my family the right way,” James said at the time, adding that he became emotional when discussing his future plans. “I think there is a lot here to see and do that I’ve never seen and done.”

Over the years, other siblings have famously shared in massive lottery wins, like the Arkansas mayor whose brother won a $1.82 billion Powerball jackpot. But for the Stocklas family, the staggering difference between a multi-million dollar fortune and a seven-dollar payout became a legendary piece of lottery history.

By August 13, 2026, the intense media attention surrounding the brothers had long since faded.

In a text message to a reporter that month, James confirmed he was still “Doing well.” The former judge had spent the last decade investing in property, giving back to charity, and finally settling down into a home in the Florida Keys.