A Kentucky man in his 50s who won a $167 million (approximately 252.7 billion won) Powerball jackpot has been arrested on burglary charges less than a year after his windfall.
James Fading, 52, was booked into the Fayette County Detention Center in Kentucky on charges including second-degree burglary and marijuana possession, local outlets FOX56 and WKYT reported Wednesday. It marks his third arrest since winning the lottery.
According to police, Fading is accused of breaking into a home on Kenessaw Drive in Lexington, Kentucky, on Dec. 28 and stealing $12,000 in cash. A resident reported hearing "a loud noise as if the door was being broken down," prompting police to launch a search. Officers apprehended Fading at a nearby parking lot around 9 p.m. Marijuana was also found inside the Porsche he was driving at the time of his arrest.
Fading, who received only 10 years of formal education, has a criminal record stretching back to his teenage years. He reportedly spent 30 of his 52 years cycling through 25 different prisons. Even a multibillion-won jackpot could not break the pattern.
The day after his lottery win was announced, Fading punched another guest at a Florida resort and assaulted a police officer who intervened. He was convicted of assault and obstruction of justice. On Feb. 11, he was arrested again for threatening a woman while armed. The victim reported that Fading forced her to eat jelly while threatening her life. A .38-caliber firearm and marijuana were recovered at the scene.
Fading became a national sensation after winning the $167 million Kentucky Powerball on April 26 last year. He reportedly split the prize money with his mother, who is in her 70s, and his girlfriend. In an interview with local media at the time, Fading said, "I've caused my mother a lot of stress and made many wrong choices in life," but added, "God showed me grace, and good things finally came to me for keeping the faith and doing the right thing."