A man went from scooping millions on the lottery to a life of crime ending up "broke, dope-sick and p****d off at the world."
Jim Hayes only turned into a criminal after blowing his jackpot on fancy cars and plush homes. He ended up being convicted of a string of bank robberies when his luck – and his money – ran out. Hayes from California struck gold on the SuperLotto jackpot in 1998 defying odds of 18 million to one as he landed the epic $19m (£13.6m) prize when he was 35.
The security guard who'd been struggling to makle ends meet said it "couldn't have come at a better time" and planned to use it "for good" helping out family and friends in need. "I'm not going to blow the money," he said. "I know I'll change, but only for the better."
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He also said he'd put some of it towards repairing his 1968 Chevrolet Camaro. But the supercar fan ended up splashing out on a fleet of Lamborghinis, Bentleys, Porsches, and Corvettes. He also bought plush properties and splurged on Rolex watches, Persian rugs, lavish holidays and five star hotels.
His new-found wealth catapulted him into the high life and new social circles.
In a letter written from prison, Hayes told the Daily Beast: “I owned beachfront houses, had actress girlfriends, you name it, I’ve probably done it.”
But he had to give his first wife half of his winnings after they divorced. When his debts grew, he filed for bankruptcy in 2007 losing his cars and properties.
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He applied for jobs but was unsuccessful hampered by a bank injury he'd sustained at work years before. It had left him addicted to painkillers but he later turned to heroin when he could no longer afford prescription drugs.
He told the Daily Beast: “I mentally snapped.
“I was broke, dope-sick p**sed off at the world, living in a garage with my beloved cat looking at me hungry.”
He said he thought robbing a bank was a solution and deemed it a "victimless crime."
"That's not the teller's money, it's the bank's and I hate banks," he said.
Hayes carried out a string of heists between April and September 2017. With a stuffed pillow beneath his shirt to disguise his body type and wearing different hats, he would demand cash by giving a note to a bank worker.
He would threaten to open fire if they didn’t comply with his request but never really brought a gun fearing a longer prison sentence if he was caught.
Hayes stole around $39,424 from 11 banks admitting: "It got easier and easier every time. I was hooked. I was getting off on it. It was like a game."
Some cops described Hayes as the “PT Cruiser Bandit” because of the champagne-coloured getaway car. They eventually caught up with him and in June 2018, Hayes was sentenced to 33 months in prison after the court heard he was the victim of an opioid addiction and the "so-called lottery curse."
He was ordered to pay $39,424 in restitution fees to the banks he robbed. While inside, he detoxed cold turkey, took up art and even started writing a memoir.
Reflecting on his sentence, he said: "Prison is the most horrible thing ever but I'm thankful it happened. It saved my life."
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