FOX 5 SAN DIEGO – A New York construction worker kept his $245 million lottery win a secret for weeks.

When Nandlall Mangal came back from a quick trip his Staten Island home after a quick trip to Maryland last month, he decided to see if the Powerball ticket he left on the kitchen table won anything.

It turns out the ticket was worth $245.6 Million from the drawing on Aug. 11.  Even then he was calm.

“Checked it, put it away, checked it next day, and put it in the safety deposit box,” Mangal said.

He then called only one person— a lawyer who helps plan for these sorts of things. The 42-year-old man did not tell friends, family, or the guys at his construction job in Manhattan, where he has continued to work for the last month.

Mangal believes many coworkers will find out by seeing him on the news, or perhaps Friday when he calls in rich.

“Sorry guys!” he joked.

Mangal will take the lump sum payment, which after taxes will total just shy of $100 million. He is placing the money in a Trust dubbed: “The Sea & Sand Trust”— a hint at his desire to travel specifically to Hawaii and beyond.

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Lucky bastard. Although I have to question ‘why him’ and ‘not me,’ I do agree with how he managed his winnings process. I always cringe when I see people run straight to the media to announce their newfound wealth and wonder why the public/friends/family swarms them like vultures on roadkill. If I ever was so lucky to win a fraction of this kind of money not a soul would know but my lawyer & my realtor.

If you won the lottery would you tell the world or would you keep it secret? Why or why not?