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Rikers Guard Goes From Rags To Riches
By
Jen Carlson
Published Sep 24, 2010
Modified Sep 24, 2010
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Sep 24, 2010
Modified Sep 24, 2010
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A 34-year-old Rikers Island guard, Garina Fearon, may now have more money than some of the famous inmates she's had to look over during her time on duty. Fearon won $54MM in last week's Mega Millions drawing, and she told the NY Post, "I wanted a better life. I was struggling as a single parent. I've really come back from nothing." Yep, it's the feel good story for your Friday afternoon!
In her life, Fearon has filed for bankruptcy, had her apartment robbed, spent her youth in a homeless shelter (where she was abused), and suffered through what sounds like a lifetime of bad luck. One (former?) coworker says, "She's had feces thrown in her face and on her uniform in the years that she's been there. She's a tough young lady."
Her plans? To do something "unexpected." She told the paper that she will talk to her supervisors at the Correction Department, adding, "I don't want to resign." She also said that with her $30MM lump sum payout she plans to buy her mother a house in Jamaica, where she's from.
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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