A French man whose stolen credit card was used to purchase a winning lottery ticket has offered to split the jackpot with the two thieves.
Jean-David Estele’s car was broken into in Toulouse on February 3, and his credit card was used to buy several items at a bar the same day, including a lottery ticket worth €500,000 ($525,000), his lawyer Pierre Debuisson told CNN on Tuesday.
“It’s a miracle for both the thieves and my client,” said Debuisson, explaining that Estele is willing to share the prize money with the thieves, who are believed to be homeless and have since vanished.
Despite finding fingerprints at the scene, French police have been unable to identify the pair.
Debuisson has urged them to come forward, stating, “Without my client’s credit card it would not have been possible to buy the ticket, but without the thieves’ behaviour, the ticket wouldn’t have been bought either.”
Estele has no intention of pressing charges and wants to ensure the thieves “have nothing to fear from us,” Debuisson said.
However, locating them has proven difficult.
“We don’t know much about the thieves beyond the fact that they are homeless. We have some video footage, but the quality is poor,” he added.
Meanwhile, Estele and his wife plan to use their share of the winnings to build a new home.
“It must be the first time that a guy who gets his credit card stolen is extremely happy to be the victim of such a crime,” Debuisson remarked, noting the unprecedented nature of the case.
The story has gained international attention, with media coverage spanning China, Russia, and India.
“I don’t think anything like this has ever happened before. I never imagined this case would gain so much attention worldwide,” Debuisson said.
France’s national lottery operator, Française des Jeux (FDJ), stated on Tuesday that it could not confirm any details, as “no request for the payment has been made.”
Typically, winning tickets must be claimed within 30 days of the end of the sales period.
