ARKANSAS MAYOR’S BROTHER WON THE $1.82 BILLION POWERBALL
Tracy Hartwick, the younger brother of North Little Rock Mayor Terry Hartwick, was identified through Arkansas lottery records as a winner of the $1.82 billion Powerball jackpot, the second-largest in the game’s history. His name came out because the brother of an elected official does not qualify for the same confidentiality protection as other winners, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.
Hartwick bought a $30 Quick Play ticket at a Murphy USA store and gas station in Cabot for the December 24, 2025 drawing, according to the New York Post. He added the Power Play option and bought 10 number combinations, but only his first line was needed. It matched 4, 25, 31, 52, 59 and the Powerball 19.
Other coverage, including the Providence Journal, put the advertised jackpot more precisely at $1.817 billion.
Where the money went
Hartwick skipped the annuity and took the one-time cash option of $834.9 million before taxes. Lottery records show he owned 94% of the prize, with his brother Timothy Allen Hartwick and one unnamed person holding smaller shares.
After roughly $218.9 million in state and federal withholdings, Tracy took home about $565.8 million. He received his check on January 20, 2026, the Democrat-Gazette reported.
Timothy’s cut was much smaller. The paper reported he received about $18 million after approximately $6.9 million in withholdings.
How his name came out
Tracy stayed anonymous when he claimed the prize. His name later surfaced through lottery records, USA Today reported.
Under Arkansas Act 889 of 2021, winners can generally stay anonymous for up to three years. The Post reported that the window shrinks to six months when the winner is the sibling of an elected official. The Democrat-Gazette reported that Tracy and Timothy did not qualify for a confidentiality exemption.
That put the spotlight on Terry Hartwick, who was serving his third term as mayor. He first held the office from 1985 to 1988, later ran the city’s chamber of commerce and worked for its parks department, then returned to City Hall in 2020 and won again unopposed in 2024.
The Post reported that Terry, 77, was also the subject of an investigation earlier this year. KARK reported that he allegedly inappropriately touched two teenage girls after a high school choir Christmas performance, around the time his brother won the lottery.
No charges were filed. Investigators found no evidence to support a criminal case, and Arkansas Special Prosecutor Robbie Jones explained why in a letter written in April 2026.
“For any of the sexual offenses to apply, the State would have to present evidence that the contact was for the purpose of the Mayor’s sexual gratification. As with a charge under Harassment, the proof of this element is lacking, which is fatal to any prosecution under Sexual Assault 2nd [degree].”
Jones concluded that the missing proof was fatal to a prosecution for second-degree sexual assault or harassment.
The mayor had been investigated before, too. The Democrat-Gazette reported on a probe into alleged free vacations, trips to the World Series and Orange Bowl, and payments from contractors doing city work.
The mayor’s office did not comment on his brother’s lottery win, THV11 reported. Powerball itself has since expanded to the United Kingdom, but the Hartwick brothers’ story is still the historic one out of Arkansas.
