A National Lottery splurged his £2million win and ended up in court in a row over £400, sleeping on the floor of his own pub.
When Mike Antonucci scooped the jackpot in 1995, he believed he was set for life and quit his job as an antiques dealer. He went on an international spending spree during which he purchased luxury cars and yachts, and splashed out on a pub, nightclub and massage parlour.
Mike also bought a £200,000 speedboat and £250,000 apartment, and tied the knot with Kelly Arkins, a glamour model, in a lavish £10,000 ceremony in the Bahamas. The lottery winner also splurged £4,500 on Kelly’s breast implants.
But the marriage lasted just three months and Mike’s various business ventures, including his own pop band, proved unsuccessful. The former antiques dealer, now 74, ended up sleeping on a lilo in one of the pubs he ran in Plymouth, Devon. Since then he has remained under the radar – he was last reported to be working as a furniture exporter and living “day to day”.
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In 2009, some 14 years after his lottery win, Mike appeared in court charged with assaulting a shop owner he owed £400. He was found guilty and fined £720. Mike told magistrates in Plymouth: “I have had situations in my life in the last 15 years. When you go through certain experiences these things happen to you.”
Robert Johnson is a UK-based business writer specializing in finance and entrepreneurship. With an eye for market trends and a keen interest in the corporate world, he offers readers valuable insights into business developments.
