In February, Marie Holmes won the $188 million Powerball lottery jackpot in North Carolina, but already, she has had to millions of her earnings just on bailing her boyfriend out of jail.
Holmes bailed her boyfriend, 31-year-old Lamarr McDow, out of jail again on Friday morning after he violated a pre-trial release agreement for prior heroin-related charges. She posted his $12 million for his bond.
Holmes has also reportedly spent around $1,470,000 in fees that she will never see again after posting bond several times, as around seven percent of the fee is non-refundable.
In March, Holmes posted $3 million in bail for McDow’s heroin-trafficking charges. In August, she again posted $6 million in bail, this time because McDow was cited during a raid.
On December 26, a warrant was issued for McDow’s arrest, and he was charged with a misdemeanor charge of trying to set up a street race. This time, the bail was set for $12 million.
The bail money continues to rise because pre-trial release rules state that the amount doubles every time a defendant breaks the rules.
As for the rest of her lottery money, Holmes has said that she wants to use the money to donate to her church and to set up college funds for her four children, one of which is believed to suffer from cerebral palsy.