‘Throw the Money Away,’ Judge Tells Family Split by Jackpot

Winning a $2.3-million lottery jackpot may sound like a dream come true, but it has become more like a nightmare for one family.

“What you have is a family that apparently had love and affection for one another, and then along comes something none of them expected in their wildest dreams to ruin it: money,” Cook County Judge Roger Kiley said Friday.

Denies Son’s Request

One day earlier, Kiley had denied a request by Julio Shelby to freeze the $115,000-lottery installment to be paid to his father, William Shelby Jr., on Aug. 20.

When William Shelby won the Lotto grand prize in the Illinois state lottery three years ago, it was worth $2.3 million paid out in 20 annual installments.

Julio Shelby, 29, contended in a lawsuit filed in April that he selected the winning numbers and, with his brother, sister and mother, entered into an agreement with William Shelby to share the winnings, an agreement Julio Shelby says was not kept.

Julio Shelby had asked that the $115,000 installment be placed in a separate account until the lawsuit is settled.

Kiley said in denying the request that Julio Shelby had failed to prove that an emergency situation existed. He noted that William Shelby had received just two installments. But Kiley admitted that he could not contain himself during Thursday’s hearing, calling out to family members after the decision: “Throw the money away and get back the love you had before.”

“When I was hearing the case, I remembered a quote from one of my law school professors,” Kiley said Friday. “He said it in Latin, but it’s the same in any language: ‘Avarice is the root of all evil.’ ”