Dale City Gas Station Sells $1 Million Ticket

DALE CITY, Va. — Virginia’s seventh $1 million Powerball jackpot winner in the past four weeks claimed his prize in Dale City.

Officials with the Virginia Lottery said Michael DeFonde, of Woodbridge, purchased his winning ticket from a BP gas station at the corner of Mapledale Avenue and Dale Boulevard.

He came to the store Tuesday to claim his prize.

More in a press release from the Virginia Lottery:

When Michael DeFonde stopped by Mapledale BP in Woodbridge and heard the exciting news that a Powerball ticket bought there had won $1 million, it never occurred to him that he might have that ticket.

“It didn’t even click,” the Woodbridge man later said.

Later that day, he and his wife checked some Powerball tickets in their house. The ticket matched the first five numbers in the December 8 Powerball drawing to win $1 million.

“I told my wife, ‘I think you must be wrong. That can’t be us!’” he said.

The BP store also won received a $10,000 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.

The winning numbers for that drawing were 7-23-26-40-53, and the Power Ball number was 21. He used Easy Pick and allowed the computer to randomly select the numbers on his ticket. Mr. DeFonde said he expects to use his winnings to pay bills and as a nest egg for the future.

Powerball drawings are held at 10:59 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays. They are broadcast on TV stations across Virginia and live on valottery.com.