Engfors,60, is homeless and he has spent many nights at a homeless shelter in his hometown of Aspen. Jeremy Kowalis, the director of the Aspen Homeless Shelter, said Michael has seen a bottom that pushed him to the edge. He said Michael has been through a divorce, struggled with alcoholism and he lost his business.
Kowalis said Michael never given up, and he believed that if Michael kept on pushing, then his luck would eventually change.
Last week, Michael’s luck did change. He spent $10, which he earned from working odd jobs, on a lottery scratch ticket and he won $500,000.
Michael was driven to the Colorado Lottery claims office by a friend, and he walked out with a check for between $300,000-$400,000 after taxes. Michael’s friend didn’t say exactly how much he received after cashing in the ticket. After cashing in the winning ticket, the money was deposited into a checking account that didn’t even have five dollars in it.
A spokeswoman for the lottery said the ticket Michael bought was the last of Eternal Splendor scratch tickets worth $500,000 to be sold.
Michael plans on using the money to find his long-lost daughter. She’s in her 20s and she is Michael’s only child.
